Andhra Pradesh: Government to equip 27,500 VOAs with smartphones
Vijayawada: The state government has decided to distribute smartphones to 27,500 village organisation assistants (VOAs) across Andhra Pradesh, minister for MSMEs, rural poverty alleviation and NRI empowerment Kondapalli Srinivas said on Thursday.
He told the media after the Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat that the coalition government is working with a focus on eradicating rural poverty.
Recalling past initiatives, the minister noted that former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had introduced the Velugu programme over two decades ago, forming DWACRA groups to empower poor households. He also pointed out that the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) was set up to strengthen these groups.
According to the minister, around 90 lakh women are currently part of 8.32 lakh self-help groups in villages, progressing through collective effort. From among these members, one VOA is selected in each village to provide training, facilitate bank linkages and extend support through financial schemes such as Stree Nidhi and Community Investment Fund.
In view of their expanding responsibilities, the government has approved the purchase of smartphones for VOAs. Srinivas said the assistants had requested devices to support new Android applications and data collection work. The Chief Minister has cleared the procurement of 27,500 smartphones. The devices, Samsung A06 models with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, will be supplied with chargers, protective cases and mobile device management software. The procurement was carried out through AP Technology Services via a transparent tender process, he added.
