Delhi Govt To Distribute Free Laptops To 1200 Meritorious Students, Establish ICT Labs
Under the Mukhya Mantri Digital Education Scheme, students from Delhi government schools who achieved high marks in Class 10 will receive i7 laptops.
The Delhi government announced on Tuesday that it will provide free i7 laptops to 1,200 top-performing students who excelled in their Class 10 exams, PTI reported. Additionally, 175 government-run schools will have ICT labs established, according to Education Minister Ashish Sood.
During a press conference, Sood highlighted that these 'historic" decisions were made at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
Under the Mukhya Mantri Digital Education Scheme, students from Delhi government schools who achieved high marks in Class 10 will receive i7 laptops. This initiative aims to support their future digital education needs in line with the National Education Policy, as per the minister. The scheme is expected to cost Rs 8 crore, he added.
Sood criticised the previous AAP government's claims of an 'education revolution," pointing out that none of the 1,074 government schools had functional computer labs. He stated that the Cabinet, led by the chief minister, decided to establish Information and Communication Technology (ICT) labs in 175 schools during the current session, the PTI report added.
Each ICT lab, designed to meet Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) standards, will be equipped with 40 computers, Sood explained.
The education minister also mentioned that the Delhi government recently signed an MoU with a private organisation to set up 100 ICT labs in 100 government schools as part of a corporate social responsibility scheme.
Sood further alleged that the previous AAP government did not establish a single computer lab in schools and failed to maintain those built under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan. Computer labs were constructed in 907 government schools between 2015 and 2019 during AAP rule, funded by the Centre under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan. However, all these labs remained non-functional, Sood claimed.
Additionally, the minister announced that an orientation programme for nursery to Class I students and their parents will be held at all Sarvodaya Vidyalayas under the Delhi government on Wednesday.
view comments
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
21 minutes ago
- Mint
Over 31,500 govt employees opt for UPS till July 20: FinMin
New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) As many as 31,555 central government employees have opted for the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) till July 20, and the last date to enrol under the scheme is September, Parliament was informed on Monday. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said as on July 20, 2025, at least 7,253 claims have been received and out of which 4,978 claims have been processed for payment of benefits under UPS. From April 1, 2025, the government has introduced UPS as an option under the National Pension System (NPS) for the central government employees. UPS will provide assured payouts to the employees. In reply to a separate question in the House, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said, "as on July 20, 2025, 31,555 employees have opted UPS". Further, Sitharaman said based on the representations from employees and associations, the cut-off date to opt for UPS was extended for a period of three months up to September 30, 2025. "As per eligibility criteria, there are 25,756 retired Central Government subscribers eligible to receive additional benefits under UPS," Sitharaman said. These eligible subscribers are those central government employees who have either superannuated or deceased, or retired under Fundamental Rules 56(j), on or before 31st March 2025, after completing 10 years or more of qualifying service and were covered under NPS, the minister said. The government has extended the benefit of 'Retirement gratuity and Death gratuity' under UPS. Further, the government employees who opt for UPS under NPS shall also be eligible for option for availing benefits under the CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 or the CCS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 2023, in the event of death of the government servant during service or his discharge on the ground of invalidation or disablement. The government has also extended tax benefits to UPS as are available to NPS under the Income Tax Act, 1961. To a question on whether the government proposes to extend such benefits to other pension schemes or sectors in the near future, Sitharaman said, "UPS has been introduced as an option under National Pension System (NPS) for the employees of Central Government who are covered under the NPS. There is no proposal under consideration to extend such benefits to other pension schemes or sector."
Hans India
21 minutes ago
- Hans India
Bad weather forces cancellation of CM Nitish Kumar's visit to Katihar
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's scheduled visit to Sameli block in Katihar District was cancelled on Monday due to adverse weather conditions in Patna. The Chief Minister was expected to unveil a statue of renowned litterateur Anuppal Mandal and address a public gathering, apart from laying the foundation stone of projects of more than Rs 500 crore, but persistent heavy rain in Patna grounded his flight. This is the second postponement of the same programme, the first being on July 26 this year, also due to weather disruptions. Speaking on the cancellation, Katihar District Magistrate Manesh Kumar Meena said, 'Due to heavy rains in Patna and bad weather conditions, the Chief Minister's helicopter could not take off. The event at Sameli had to be cancelled despite all arrangements being in place.' Barari MLA Vijay Singh echoed the disappointment due to cancellation of the chief minister's program. 'The Chief Minister was coming to unveil the statue of great litterateur Anuppal Mandal and to address the public. But once again, the weather has let us down. The ATC has not allowed his chopper to take off from Patna.' The district and block administration had made comprehensive preparations for the CM's arrival, including arrangements for security, stage set-up, crowd control, and public address logistics. Thousands of people, especially from nearby rural areas, had started gathering at the venue, only to return disappointed once the cancellation was announced. According to administrative sources, efforts are already underway to reschedule the visit at the earliest suitable date. The Chief Minister is keen to connect with the people of Katihar, especially to highlight development initiatives and promote education and literature in the region. The legacy of Anuppal Mandal, whose statue was to be unveiled, holds cultural significance in the region. Locals hope the postponed programme will be executed soon, bringing both recognition to the late litterateur and a much-anticipated public address by the Chief Minister.
Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
No interim stay on draft electoral roll publication in Bihar: SC asks EC to accept Aadhaar, voter ID
The Supreme Court Monday refused to stay the publication of draft electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, saying it would once for all decide the pleas against the Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, news agency PTI reported. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said it would fix on July 29, the scheduled time for the final hearing of the matter, as per the report. Appearing for an NGO, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan said the electoral rolls should not be finalised in the interim, and there should be an interim stay on the publication of the draft rolls. The bench observed the last order of the top court noted the petitioners were not pressing for an interim relief and, therefore, it couldn't be done now and matter would be interpreted once for all, PTI quoted. On acceptance of Aadhaar card, voter ID in SIR The SC reiterated its suggestion to the poll panel to continue accepting Aadhaar and voter ID for the SIR exercise in Bihar in compliance with its order saying both documents had a 'presumption of genuineness'. The court said it prima facie agreed with the order of the top court and the EC accepted in its counter affidavit that Aadhaar, voter cards and ration cards were required to be accepted. 'As far as ration cards are concerned, we can say they can be forged easily but Aadhaar and voter cards have some sanctity and have presumption of genuineness. You continue accepting these documents,' the bench said. Earlier, on July 10, the SC, while declining to restrain the EC from proceeding with the SIR in Bihar, suggested the poll panel to consider Aadhaar, voter ID and ration cards for the purpose of updating the rolls. The EC, in a counter-affidavit filed in court on July 22, however, said it was its 'Constitutional authority' to determine whether the requirement of citizenship is fulfilled by electors, but citizenship of an individual will 'not terminate' on account of being held ineligible as an elector. Responding to the poll body's claim in the SC, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), had argued that it flies in the face of past judgments. It also called the exclusion of Aadhaar and ration cards from the list of acceptable documents 'patently absurd,' noting that Aadhaar is widely accepted when applying for passports, caste certificates, and permanent residence documents. The first phase of SIR of Bihar's electoral rolls concluded last Friday, with EC declaring about 92 per cent of 7.89 crore registered voters in the state would remain on the draft rolls to be published on August 1. About 8 per cent, or approximately 65 lakh names, are likely to be removed from the draft rolls after they were found to be either deceased, registered in more than one place, permanently migrated to another place, or untraceable, according to the EC. The Assembly elections are due to be held in Bihar later this year.
