The State government has decided to give free laptops to over a lakh students of first grade government colleges from Sunday.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will launch the free laptop distribution programme on the day of Swami Vivekananda Jayanti at the Sri Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bengaluru, by symbolically presenting laptops to a few students. Later, laptops will be distributed to all first-year degree students at government first grade colleges.
Addressing presspersons on Friday, Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan, who also holds the Higher Education and IT/BT portfolios, said a total of 1.09 lakh students would get laptops. The estimated expenditure is ₹300 crore.
District centres
He said youth empowerment centres, one in each district, would be established in lead government first grade colleges. The centres will function under the guidance of a committee chaired by the Deputy Commissioner and with senior officers of 21 government departments as members. These centres will disseminate information on job openings, opportunities in higher education, scholarships, education loans, schemes for the youth, hostel facilities, and employability-related issues.
Mr. Yediyurappa will inaugurate the Bengaluru centre on Sunday. The other district centres will be inaugurated on the same day. In the second phase, centres will be established in all 224 Assembly constituencies, he said.
The Chief Minister will also inaugurate the programme ‘Arivina Daari’ on career and skill development, which will be telecast in DD Chandana.
