90% students covered under free laptop scheme in 2012-13

Over 90 per cent of the targeted 7.56 lakh higher secondary school and college students of government and aided institutions have been issued free laptops in 2012-13 under a welfare scheme being implemented by the Jayalalithaa Government in Tamil Nadu.

An official release here today said Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had ordered providing laptops to 7.56 lakh students in 2012-13. Of this, 90 per cent of the students had been issued laptops, an official release said today.

The Chief Minister has ordered that 5.65 lakh higher secondary school and polytechnic students be issued laptops in 2013-14, it said.

During 2011-12, a total of 9.07 lakh students were given free laptops.

At a review meeting at the secretariate today, Information and Special Schemes Implementation Minister K T Rajendra Bhalaji ordered speeding up issuing of free laptops to remaining students.

Keeping her poll promise, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa launched the the first-of-its-kind scheme in the country of issuing laptops to school, polytechnic and college students studying in state-run and state-aided institutions on September 15, 2011.