Over one lakh students, who have enrolled into the undergraduate courses in 2019-20, will get free laptops during an event to mark Vivekananda Jayanti at Sri Kanteerava Stadium. However, the wait for free laptops for the UG students of 2017-18 and 2018-19 batches will continue.
Sources in the Department of Collegiate Education told DH, the department has decided to distribute free laptops only for the students of 2019-20 batch UG students due to shortage of funds. "The scheme was on hold because of the shortage of funds. Our initial estimate for the free laptop scheme for UG students was Rs 90 crore. But we now require over Rs 200 crores for the said scheme. This is all due to a change in the specifications and price escalation."
On the inordinate delay in distributing free laptops to the UG students of 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years, sources said, "There were no bidders in the year 2017-18. In the following year, Assembly elections and price escalation created hurdles for implementation of the scheme. The department again floated the tender but the Assembly bypolls derailed the process. In view of the fund constraints, the department has decided to distribute laptops to the students who have enrolled into UG courses, this academic year."
