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Andhra Pradesh Government Might Distribute Free Smartphones In The Wake Of Demonetization

The authorities are talking with smartphone makers for the distribution.
South Indian man talking on a mobile phone and smiling
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South Indian man talking on a mobile phone and smiling

VIJAYVADA-- The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to distribute free mobile phones to enable economically-backward people to undertake cashless transactions in the wake of the ongoing currency crisis.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu came up with this proposal during a review meeting with RBI officials and bankers here today.

"Everybody needs a mobile phone for digital transactions, so we want to implement this idea and distribute mobile phones," he said.

RBI officials informed the Chief Minister that another Rs 3,000 crore worth new currency notes were expected to reach the state by November 28.

Of this, notes of smaller denominations were expected to be around Rs 60 crore, they said.

The Chief Minister asked the bankers to review the situation constantly with their top officials through teleconference, till the problem eased out.

RBI representative Hari Sankar, Andhra Bank deputy general manager G S V Krishna Rao and other senior officials attended the meeting.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.