Free laptops for Kerala girls admitted in professional colleges

A total of 1,500 girl students in Kerala from poor families or with small land holdings who are admitted in professional colleges will be given a laptop for free, state Finance Minister K.M. Mani said on Sunday.

In a press statement here, Mani said this was part of the first phase of a state government programme, the announcement of which was made in the 2014-15 budget.

The programme would be implemented this fiscal itself, he said.

Admissions to professional colleges take place generally in the third quarter of the fiscal. Hence girl students who were admitted in 2014 will get a laptop.

However, the only conditions are that they should hail from families living below poverty line, or are children of farmers who own less than a hectare of farm land or own less than 2.5 hectares of paddy fields, the statement said.

Mani said the authorities have been asked to identify the beneficiaries and the laptops would be given in this fiscal itself.

The finance minister will present his 13th state budget for the 2015-16 fiscal on March 13.