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Gujarat: Congress to install 'hi-tech' kiosks as a campaign stunt

March 13, 2009 15:19 IST
In a bid to woo youth in the state ahead of polls, the Gujarat Congress has decided to install stand-alone kiosks highlighting the achievements of the party-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre.

The kiosk, named Satya Janao (know the truth), contains information on various schemes and programmes of the Central government being implemented in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state.

It also gives the details of the Central funds received by Gujarat under UPA, which is then compared with financial assistance to the state during BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government.

"This kiosk is designed to attract today's youth who are tech-savvy and interested in knowing more about the Congress' activities," party spokesperson Himanshu Vyas said.

"It will give a comparative analysis of the various development schemes and programmes implemented in Gujarat during the NDA and the UPA regimes," he said.

"It will also have profiles of all party candidates and their constituencies." A member of the Congress media cell said the information fed in the kiosks has been collected from various state departments using the Right to Information Act.

The kiosk, weighing over 35 kg, has three components - an LCD screen, a central processing unit and keyboard and mouse. The three components have been fitted in a frame shaped like a hand, the Congress symbol.

The kiosk, with a storage capacity of 160 GB, is fitted with a data card, enabling the user to surf the internet. To use the kiosk, one has to login using a mobile phone number which will give them access to a 20-minute session.

The kiosk also has speeches of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul among other party leaders. The facility also has an on-line registration form for enrollment in the Congress' youth wing.

Since the youth is interested in knowing about the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, information related to the landmark agreement has been also provided in detail in the machine, another member of the media cell said.

The party has decided to put up two to three kiosks in each of the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. "We plan to cover 15,000-20,000 youths using one kiosk which will be placed at shopping malls, multiplexes and other popular joints attracting large number of young voters," he said.

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