Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has inaugurated a scheme for the distribution of laptops to all Scheduled Tribes students in the state, as part of “Vidyakiranam project” to ensure the availability of digital devices for online learning. Besides this, all Scheduled Caste students studying in Classes 10 and 12 would also get digital devices in this phase itself, through social efforts.

An agreement will be signed between the schools and the parent to ensure the proper upkeep of these devices. Each laptop costs Rs 18,000 (including GST) and laptops worth Rs 81.56 crore would be distributed within a month.

The laptops are offered as part of this initiative, carry a three-year warranty and comes pre-loaded with the FOSS-based operating system and educational applications developed by state-run KITE. A total of 45,313 students in 14 districts would be given with laptops in the first phase, and the distribution would be completed in November, the Chief Minister said.

There are an estimated 3.5 lakh students in the general category who are in need of digital devices as part of the Vidyakiranam project.  Lakshmi Jayesh, Class 5 student in Thiruvananthapuram district, received the first laptop from Vijayan on Monday.

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