THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday inaugurated the Vidyashree scheme for providing laptops to students at subsidised prices. Two hundred children were given laptops as part of the scheme jointly launched by KSFE and Kudumbashree. Finance Minister Thomas Isaac presided over the inaugural session.
The scheme is to give laptops to students who have difficulty in purchasing laptops for their online classes. Kudumbashree members will get the laptop for Rs 7,000. The laptop will be handed at the time of initial payment of Rs 1,500. 1.23 lakh Kudumbashree members have enrolled for the scheme and 17,343 have selected their preferred model as well.
Five per cent of the loan interest is borne by the government and four per cent by KSFE. SC, ST and fishermen families will be eligible for an additional discount provided by their respective departments. The forward and backward corporations can also provide subsidy to their members using their funds.
Laptop manufacturers were empaneled for the programme through a tender process. This gave the students an opportunity to select their preferred brands. The chief minister said the laptop scheme was a model project during the pandemic time. The scheme will benefit 10 lakh families. He also interacted with some student beneficiaries.
Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said that the scheme helps bridge the digital divide and promote knowledge dissemination. “Online education using internet and laptop has brought in a progressive change in school education. This has influenced the administration as well. The state could make a giant leap in e-governance,” he said.Education Minister C Raveendranath opined the scheme was a revolution in the general education sector.