Raipur, July 31: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Monday launched the 'Mobile Tihar' scheme, part of the Sankar Kranti Yojana (SKY), to distribute 50 lakh smartphones among the women and student populace in the remote parts of the state. At the launch-event held on Monday, actress Kangana Ranaut was among the guests invited.

Addressing the gathering, Raman Singh said the ambitious scheme of mobile distribution was taken by his government to empower the youth and women. Smartphones, Singh claimed, will prove to be a game-changer for the state in the near-future.

The day is not far, he added, when the residents of even the remotest part of Chhattisgarh will enjoy 4G services on their smartphones. In order to boost internet connectivity, the government will be installing 565 mobile towers in the state, Singh said.

"In the near future, the labour class in villages will also have 4G smartphones. Soon, people will call the state as 'Smart Chhattisgarh'," Singh added.

Pollsters claim the 'free-smartphone' scheme could prove to be a game-changer for the BJP in Chhattisgarh, where the party is facing 15 years of incumbency. Experts claim Raman Singh will face the most stringent challenge in the upcoming assembly elections in 2018.

Reacting to Raman Singh's 'Mobile Tihar' launch, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition TS Singhdeo claims the government has cheated the people for the last four years and is now resorting to "such gimmicks" to win them over. "But the people have made their mind to vote against the BJP in the upcoming polls," he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 31, 2018 09:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).