New Delhi, Dec. 25 -- The village elders in Rajasthan's Jalore district have lifted the ban on women using smartphones after it faced opposition in several areas. A meeting of the panchas (village elders) was held on Thursday in Gazipur village, where they unanimously agreed to withdraw the ban. They stated that the decision was made with children in mind, but it was "misunderstood."

During a meeting of the Chaudhary community of Sundhamata Patti on December 21 in Gazipur village, it was decided that daughters and daughters-in-law from 15 villages would be prohibited from using smartphones starting January 26.

The village elders and community members also allowed them to use keypad (feature) phones solely for making calls.

According to...