BENGALURU: Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi on Thursday said it has partnered with its network of distributors and retail partners to donate 2,500 brand new smartphones worth Rs 2 crore to children from communities that are worst affected by the pandemic for online learning and education. The company's 2,500 plus strong retail network will come together to donate these over 2,500 smartphones under this initiative which celebrates five years of the company's "Make in India" programme.

"At Mi India, we have always believed in making technology accessible to every Indian. We are very grateful to our retail partners who have come together with Mi India to pledge the 2500+ smartphones under this initiative," Muralikrishnan B, Chief Operating Officer at Xiaomi India, said in a statement.

"Children's education is a cause we will continue to work towards," he said.

The company has partnered with Teach For India, to ensure that the children can avail these smartphones for online learning and education.

“The pandemic has threatened the very moral and social fabric of the nation. The dynamics of education have changed especially for under-resourced communities. Teach For India is adapting a new approach, blended learning, which has the potential to change the way children across India learn. We are extremely delighted to partner with Mi India and are thankful to them for stepping forward to empower these students to get the right tools for education,” said Sandeep Rai, Chief of City Operations at Teach for India.

The partnership aims to ensure that these brand-new smartphones can be used by children to access online classes, ensuring continuity in their education.