Ahmedabad: Mobile phones may also have got their place as a classic necessity of life in Gujarat.
Of every 100 households, 92 has a much higher cellphone than basic household items including bed mattresses, TV to watch, chairs to sit and watch or watch to track time.
According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) -5, the number of households with cellphones was 97% in urban areas and 89% in the countryside.
Only how many cellphones have been taken in the lives of citizens can be measured from the fact that only 86% of households have a mattress, 80% owned pressure stove, 84% have seats and 73% have television sets.
Mobile ownership is almost the same as Andhra Pradesh (91%) and slightly lower than Maharashtra and Karnataka (93%).
‘Most women use basic phones for communication’ Kerala at 97% have one of the highest per ownership of household cellphones according to the survey conducted in 2019-21.
Another major findings of this survey are the emergence of phenomenal internet users – in the NHFS-4, which is carried out in 2015-16, 4% of respondents have been mentioned using the internet including 8% in urban areas and around 1% in rural areas.
This number jumped 14 times for 55% of respondents acknowledging to use the internet including 71% in urban areas and 43% in the countryside.
Satakam Joshi, Incharge Director of Incharge Social Study Center, said that the telephone and internet use of mobile users have grown exponentially even in rural areas and tribes.
“With cheap handsets and internet connections, it doesn’t rarely see almost everyone having a telephone today.
Almost all government schemes need telephone for OTP can be another reason.
The number of smartphones can be a little lower, though, “he said.
The survey also emphasized that 49% or half of the women surveyed said that they had a telephone for their personal use.
Of the total, 75% can read SMS, and 22% of them use it for financial transactions.
Neeleta Hardikar, founder of Anandi NGO, said many women who use cellphones in rural areas.
“Most women use basic phones for simple communication as they depend on men to buy devices for them.
younger women but have higher access to the internet with a smartphone.
High number of female government employees such as Asha workers have also been given cellphones for work purposes, “Hardikar said.