BSNL issues 5000 free SIM cards in flood hit Kashmir, valid for 7 days

State backed telecom operator BSNL has issued 5,000 SIM connections for distribution in flood affected parts of Jammu and Kashmir. The cards will be given away to locals without ID proof and will be valid for 7 days.
Calls would be free on these 5,000 connections until the end of this week but the cards can be used till next week. The cards are valid only for a limited period in order to avoid its misuse afterwards.

Speaking to PTI, Anupam Shrivastava, BSNL’s Director for Consumer Mobility said, “Government had approved distribution of 5,000 SIM cards without any ID proof. Government’s priority is to save lives there without any discrimination.”
BSNL also said that 829 out of its 1,173 towers in Kashmir have been restored and are operational. Other major telcos like Reliance Communications, Idea and Airtel too have reportedly said that there services have been restored and are functional in various districts of the state.
In order to help the flood afflicted in the state find their family members and friends, Aircel had started a free location tracking service called Locate. The service is available to all Aircel subscribers across the country.