2,662 students get laptops

As many as 2,662 students studying in Madurai Corporation schools received free laptops from the government here on Friday.

Giving away the laptops, procured at a cost of ₹ 4.25 crore, Cooperation Minister Sellur K. Raju said that laptops were given to 32.67 lakh students across the State including 12,448 students of Madurai Corporation schools in the last five years.

He said that ideas of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa were being implemented by this government led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami. She had said that women should not remain in kitchen. To empower them, the government had been providing all possible infrastructure and girl students should utilise it.

The minister said the authorities had taken steps to issue photo identity cards to the students of Madurai Corporation schools like those given to children in private schools. All furniture, which were in bad shape had been repaired. A sum of ₹ 5.65 crore was spent for new furniture and additional buildings. Night watchmen were posted to 55 schools and the corporation earmarked close to ₹ 54 lakh for their salaries annually. Similarly, 88 conservancy workers were posted to keep corporation schools clean and ₹ 88 lakh was allotted for their salaries annually. To prepare students of corporation schools for competitive examinations like NEET, the government had planned to build smart class rooms, offer special coaching and distribute model question-answer books.

The government led by Mr. Palaniswami was dedicated to improve the standard of common man and their dependants, Mr. Raju claimed and urged the students to work hard and come up in their life. Stalwarts like former President Kalam should be the role models for the students, he said.

Madurai Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao, Corporation Commissioner Aneesh Shekar, MP R. Gopalakrishnan, MLAs V.V. Rajan Chellappa were present.