Bengaluru: If all goes well, then around 26,000 SC/ ST students studying in various Under Graduate and Science Post Graduate course will get free laptops. According to the Directorate of Collegiate Education (DCE) officers, tender process has been finalised for this scheme.
“Students will get free laptops after November 18 after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launches the project in Davanagere. Students will get a laptop worth of Rs.14,450 which are pre-loaded with e-content,” informed an officer.
“Only those SC/ST students whose family income is below Rs.2.5lakh are eligible for free laptops. Students who have admitted for degree courses in the academic year 2016-17 and presently studying in the second year degree course are eligible under this scheme. In Post Graduate level only MSc and MCA students will be distributed free laptops,” he explained.
“As per the tender terms, the company engineers will visit all the colleges and open the Laptop consignment. Students will be given laptops after switching it on,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, this ambitious scheme of the DCE has met with several controversies. According to the sources, even though the DCE commissioner is supposed to sign the documents, the then Commissioner had declined to sign fearing irregularities in the scheme. The Project tender was reportedly finalised after shunting him out of the department.