'Free laptop scheme to provide equal opportunity to students'

LUCKNOW: The free laptop scheme of Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh was aimed at providing equal opportunity to students, who were lagging behind due to lack of resources, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said today.

"Computer has emerged as a necessity. The government is distributing free laptops to provide equal opportunity to students lagging behind the resourceful ones," Akhilesh said during laptop distribution programme at IT college here.

Invention of the wheel brought a revolutionary change in the world and second one came due to computer and internet, he said adding, countries which adopted it progressed rapidly.

Targeting political rivals, the Chief Minister said some people had earlier claimed that the promise to distribute free laptops was an attempt by Samajwadi Party to mislead students and people.

Now they have got a reply, he said adding, "Today many states are following the scheme."

Besides, the state government took decisions to benefits all sections of the society, including farmers, and implemented several schemes, he said.

Rs 1,600 crore loan was waived off for the farmers, who were also given free water for irrigation, Akhilesh said.

The state government started three new medical colleges due to which 350 seats of MBBS increased, he said.

Attacking previous BSP government led by Mayawati, Akhilesh said that it did nothing for the development of the state.

He claimed that during the BSP regime no industrialist was willing to invest in the state, but the present government has changed the environment.

Around 19,000 laptops were distributed today in three different programmes at IT college, Lucknow University and Mumtaz college.