THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Having faced the ire of parents for faulty laptops provided under the ‘Vidyasree’ programme, the state government has modified the conditions to allow students to purchase laptops of their choice from the open market. The Kerala State Financial Enterprises (KSFE) has been directed to provide a maximum loan amount of Rs 20,000 based on the bill of the laptops purchased, said finance minister K N Balagopal in the assembly on Thursday.
Earlier, the students could choose three companies, including Coconics, a special purpose vehicle formed by government and private companies to make laptops. While the shortlisted companies delayed in providing laptops on time, several laptops distributed by Coconics malfunctioned. UDF MLA, C R Mahesh alleged that the students had to repay the loans despite the fact that they were given faulty laptops.
The minister said the loan scheme was revamped and the loanees can repay money by paying Rs 500 for 40 months. He also said the loanees could return the faulty laptops to the KSFE branch and Coconics had agreed to repair them. KSFE has been directed to take suitable action against laptop companies — HP and Lenovo — for delaying the distribution, the minister said.