Lucknow, June 15: The Yogi government of Uttar Pradesh is providing free tablets and smartphones to the youth to connect technology with education.
In the year 2021-22 till March 31, 12,31,983 devices were supplied. The state government has given instructions to supply the remaining 5, 38,017 tablets and smartphones in two months. This tablet and smartphone will be distributed to the eligible students.
The Yogi government aims to provide 20 million tablets and smartphones to the youth in the next five years. For this the government is continuously making efforts.
Under this scheme, implemented in the year 2021-22, bids for 2.5 million tablets and 2.5 million smartphones were published on the GeM portal. The selected supplying entities had committed to deliver 7.20 lakh tablets and 10.50 lakh smartphones (total 17.70 lakh devices) in 90 days, but only 12,31,983 devices were delivered till March 31, 2022.
In this regard, it has been decided in the meeting of the State Government that under the scheme, for the year 2021-22, total targeted and contracted 17.70 lakh students who are studying in the final year of the course or whose duration of the course is more than one year.
The supply of 5,38,017 devices remaining after March 31, 2022, should be resumed in view of the pass-out. Along with this, instructions have been given to supply within 60 days. For this, expenditure will be made from the budget of the financial year 2022-23.
A spokesman of the state government said on Wednesday that in order to maintain the continuity of the scheme in the year 2022-23, instructions have been given to increase the contracts of the supplier organizations by increasing the targeted and contracted quantity by 25 percent as per the provision of the GeM portal.
He added, along with this, it was directed that by conducting a market survey of the rates of tablets and smartphones, it should be ensured that the rates of these devices have not fallen below the contracted rates.
