Laptops would be provided to 45,313 children belonging to scheduled caste/ scheduled tribe category in the state for online learning under the ‘Vidyakiranam’ project, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

This would be the first phase of the laptop distribution, the chief minister said in a release and added that in subsequent phases it would be provided to the around 3.5 lakh SC/ST students in classes 1 to 9 in the state.

He inaugurated the project by distributing the first laptop to a fifth class student of GHS Vazhamuttam School in Thiruvananthapuram, the release said.

The laptops being provided in the first phase were those available under the ‘Vidyashree’ project of KSFE-Kudumbasree, it said and added that distribution of the 45,313 laptops would be completed in November.

The CM further said that such a scheme was being introduced for the first time in the country for enabling SC/ST students to study online.

It is also a model for eliminating digital segregation of the marginalised section of the society.

The laptops, with a three-year warranty and pre-loaded with Kite’s free software applications, would be provided to children through schools to the children who have requested for such equipment on the ‘Sampoorna’ portal, the release said.

For this, a memorandum of understanding will be signed between the schools and the parents and laptops worth Rs 81.56 crore would be distributed at a cost of Rs 18,000 per laptop including tax, it said.

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