682 SC/ST students to get free laptops in Belagavi

Belagavi/Davanagere/Vijayapura: Higher education minister Basavaraj Rayaraddi will distribute free laptops among about 682 students from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities in Belagavi district at Kumar Gandharva Rangamandir at 1pm here on January 9, said Y N Dodamani, principal, Government Polytechnic College, Belagavi.
Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, he said Rayaraddi will distribute laptops to SC/ST students of two government polytechnic and 21 first grade degree colleges in Belagavi.

As many 499 students are from family below Rs 2.5 lakh annual income and 183 students are from two government polytechnic colleges. Rayaraddi and district minister Ramesh Jarkiholi will be chief guests on the occasion. As per the government circular, every beneficiary has to get free laptop before January 10.

C Ishwarchandra, principal, Women's Degree College, MS Malagi and DM Jawalkar were present.

In Davanagere, 1,284 laptops were given away to first-year students of first grade colleges belonging to the SC/ST community. District minister S S Mallikarjun kicked off the event by distributing laptops to a few students at Thungabhadra Conference Hall of the DC's office here.

In Vijayapura, water resources and district minister M B Patil announced that from the next academic year free laptops will be distributed to all students. He distributed 270 laptops to SC/ST students of degree and polytechnic colleges here at the Government Polytechnic on Saturday.