As many as 18,294 students are without smartphones and students of 225 schools with poor or no internet connectivity are at the receiving end.

They have little access to online TEACHING and are lagging behind others. A maximum number of 5,314 students (Class VI to XII) are without smartphones in the backward district of Chamba, followed by Mandi (2,723), Una (2,251) Sirmaur (1,838), Hamirpur (1,698), Kullu (1,560), Shimla (1,355), Kangra (1,047), Kinnaur (548), Solan (310), Bilaspur (185) and Lahaul and Spiti (95).

Even 225 schools have no or poor Internet connectivity and 46 such schools are in Sirmaur district, followed by Kullu (45), Lahaul and Spiti (23), Chamba and Una (19 each), Mandi (18), Bilaspur (17), Hamirpur (15), Kangra (12), Kinnaur and Solan (5 each) and Shimla (1).