Free laptop scheme to be launched on I-Day

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government’s free laptop scheme for the meritorious plus II students will be launched officially on coming Independence Day. At least 3, 750 laptops will be distributed in the first phase, Higher Education Minister Badrinarayan Patra informed media  after a review meeting chaired by CM Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday at the Secretariat.

The government had announced earlier to provide the laptops free of cost to 15,000 meritorious students passed successfully the plus II examinations.

Announcing such scheme during the launching of State Youth Policy, CM Naveen Patnaik had said that free laptops would be provided to bridge the digital divide among students and special focus would be given to girls and students belonging to the SC and ST communities.

While the Information and Technology (IT) Department was asked to procure the laptops by June 15, the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) was entrusted upon the task to draw up a list of 15,000 students on the basis of merit after declaration of the Plus II results.