HP CM distributes free laptops to meritorious students

Shimla, May 2: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Monday launched 'Rajeev Gandhi Digital Vidyarthi Yojna 2015-16' under which free laptops and netbooks will be distributed to meritorious students of classes 10 and 12.

Launching the scheme at Sundernagar in Mandi district, the Chief Minister distributed 86 laptops to the meritorious students and added that around 10,000 more laptops will be given at an estimated cost of Rs 18.32 lakhs.

Singh said that the Congress-led state government was making efforts to provide quality education to the children and had launched the 'Mukhya Mantri Gyandeep Yojna' to provide loan upto Rs 10-lakh at subsidised interest rate to all Himachali students.

Besides, free uniforms are also being provided to state-run schools upto secondary classes under the 'Mukhya Mantri Vardi Yojna', he said, adding that in order to provide state-of-art infrastructural and teaching facilities, Rs 30 crore had been provided under 'Mukhya Mantri Adarsh Vidyalaya Yojna' to each constituency.

The Chief Minister said that more than 1,000 schools had been opened or upgraded in the state during last three years besides 24 Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) and two engineering colleges. As many as 29 colleges have been opened in the state, mostly in remote and rural areas, taking the total number of colleges to 94, Singh said.

He also launched the eDHE portal of education department where on-line electronic diary, scanning of inward letters, dispatch and efile noting and drafting can be done.

PTI