Airtel & Vodafone Offer Free Mobile Data to Assam Floods Victims

Both the telcos are helping its users in the region with free calling validity to stay in touch with family.

Villagers stand on a half-submerged wooden bridge in the flood hit Baska district, Assam. 

(Photo: PTI)

Floods in Assam have claimed lives, as water levels in all the affected districts have hit the region pretty bad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Friday, 19 July, assured a delegation of MPs from Assam of all central assistance to the flood-hit state, after the 10 MPs had called on him to apprise about the flood situation in the state and urged requested financial assistance to tide over the crisis.

Keeping this grave situation in mind, telecom operators Airtel and Vodafone have announced schemes which will provide the flood victims in the region to stay connected with their near and dear ones.

For this, both the telcos have reached out to their users in the region, offering free data and calling benefits, to help them navigate through this flood-stricken situation.

Vodafone Idea has credited free data benefit of 100MB to 5GB to its 10 lakh customers in the region. In addition to this, the telco is offering free validity to its prepaid users, enabling them to make voice calls.

Other than Vodafone, you have Airtel doing something similar in the region for its customers. Mobile customers on its network in the affected districts are getting free credit of talk time along with 100MB to 5GB data in their accounts with extended validity to ensure that they remain connected, Airtel mentioned in its statement.

Both telcos are working towards restoring connectivity across 2G, 3G and 4G networks in the region. 

The situation in Assam remains critical as the surging waters of the mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries continued flowing above the danger mark.

At least 2,523 villages and 1.27 lakh hectare crop land are still submerged in the flood-hit districts and the NDRF and the SDRF are rescuing the marooned people. A total of 1.04 lakh displaced people are still in 782 relief camps and relief distribution centers set up by district administrations, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said in its report.