Cash woes for UP govt's free laptop poll promise

AGRA: One of BJP's main poll promises in the recently-concluded UP assembly elections -- of providing free laptops with internet data to all students who pass Class XII exams and opt for further studies -- has run into rough weather. While the state secondary education department had expected 12 lakh students to be beneficiaries of the scheme, over 20 lakh students of the UP Board have passed the exam, besides an additional one lakh from CBSE and ICSE streams.

One of the promises in the BJP poll manifesto included distribution of free laptops and internet data to all students who passed Class XII and enrolled in colleges.

Sources said the secondary education department estimated 12 lakh beneficiaries assuming free laptops would be only for "meritorious students", like under the previous Akhilesh Yadav regime. "Besides, 26 lakh students had passed the exam in 2016," a source said.

A proposal the department placed before the state government in April said that each of the 12 lakh laptops will cost around Rs 15,000 and a budget of Rs 1,800 crore would be required for the scheme.

A senior secondary education department official of the rank of joint director said, "Over 20 lakh UP Board students have passed the Class XII exam. There are also around one lakh students of CBSE and ICSE boards. It will be very difficult for the government to provide laptops to all 21 lakh students. It will take time to work out a solution."

It is estimated that the purchase of 21 lakh laptops will cost at least Rs 2,830 crore.