After laptops, govt students to now get tabs

Till date, more than 45 lakh laptops have been distributed for free to students after the scheme was launched in 2011 by the then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. So far, the laptop scheme has cost the exchequer to the tune of more than Rs 6,800 crore. And in the last two years, the government has spent Rs 1,362.27 crore to purchase 15.53 lakh laptops.

A senior official from the Special Programme Implementation Department, which monitors all welfare schemes in the State, told DT Next that an international tender will be floated soon to purchase the computer tablets. According to him, at present, each laptop is being bought for Rs 10,000 from various companies. “It was felt that distributing computer tablets instead of laptops will not only be cost effective but will also be handy for students to carry,” the official said.

Pointing out that the tablet computer could be purchased for half the price as the laptop, he said during the first phase, about one lakh computer tablets will be distributed. “Further procurement will be based on the scheme’s success,” he said, and pointed out that authorities would soon decide which batch of students would get the tabs.

However, the official made it clear that the laptop scheme will not be scrapped until the distribution of computer tablets makes an impact among the students. “The specification for the tablet computers will be finalised by the ELCOT taking into consideration the usage of such tabs for the student community”, he added. The tablets will also contain e-textbooks according to the student’s class, various apps that provide easy education, anti-virus software, video tutorials and among others, the official said.