PANJIM: The Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communication provided free laptops to top 10 meritorious students (five girls and five boys) belonging to Schedule Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Castes (SC) communities and 10 meritorious students (five boys and five girls) belonging to SC communities of Class X from each of the talukas of the State.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Information Technology, Electronics and Communications Minister Rohan A Khaunte, Chief Secretary P K Goel, Director of Accounts Dilip Humraskar, Director of Social Welfare Ajit Panchwadkar, Director of ITE&C Yashaswini B, IAS, and managing director of Info Tech Corporation of Goa Praveen Volvolkar.
The objective of the scheme was two-fold, one to promote Information Technology/Digital Skills among students from ST and SC communities and the other to encourage students from these communities to pursue higher education in the field of Information Technology.
Chief Minister emphasising the government’s focus on career development, stated, “Our government is committed to providing essential infrastructure like laptops to nurture a skilled workforce. We prioritise skilling, upskilling, and re-skilling initiatives, along with enhancing the quality of education by deploying competent teachers equipped for digital learning environments in schools. Additionally, we support students by providing laptops to aid their educational journey. Furthermore, to facilitate access to foreign education, we’ve introduced the ‘Economical Weaker Section Scheme’ under the Manohar Scheme Yojan, offering provisions of up to Rs 35 lakh annually without interest for students in the general category.”
Highlighting the significance, Khaunte stated, “It’s fundamental to recognise the transformative potential of laptops in our collective progress. Let’s propel the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit Goa’ by actively contributing to our nation and proving our worth. By providing laptops, we bridge the digital gap and helping you all succeed in the realm of Information Technology.”
