At least two journalists in Assam have returned mobile phones that were distributed as New Year gifts by the state government.
More than 2,200 journalists registered with the state’s Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) are slated to receive the mobile phones.
Distribution began at CM’s press conference
The distribution began on Thursday during chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s press conference in Guwahati and will continue through the district commissioners, with all gifts expected to be handed out by Magh Bihu on January 14.
According to a report by Scroll, all DIPR cardholders are to receive the Samsung Galaxy F17 smartphones, priced between Rs 12,600 and Rs 16,000 online.
An official told the outlet that distributing gifts to journalists is a yearly practice, noting that earlier items included laptop bags, leather bags, and water bottles.
The initiative comes ahead of the state’s Assembly elections expected within the next four months.
So far, Umanand Jaiswal of The Telegraph and Bikash Singh of The Economic Times have returned their devices, the official said.
Congress govt gifted laptops
In 2011, under the then Congress government, laptops were distributed to accredited journalists and those with over 10 years of experience in the profession.
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