CM presents laptops to 250 students
TAKES ON RIVALS Elaborates on his government’s welfare schemes, development projects
Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav posed a question to the beneficiaries of the state government’s laptop scheme on Friday. “What did the party with the elephant symbol give you?”
On a day when the state government presented 250 meritorious students of the board exams of 2015 and 2016 with laptops, the CM took on political rivals and highlighted the good work done during his tenure.
He assured his audience that his government would also distribute smartphones. “It will help people avail of mobile banking facility,” said the CM. At a ceremony organised in Lok Bhawan, 23 students received their laptops from the chief minister.
Stressing that the SP government believed in using technology to “reduce the miseries of people”, the CM said, “One crore people have registered themselves for the Samajwadi Smartphone Yojana. This will help the common man stay in tune with government welfare schemes.” On the occasion, Akhilesh also spoke at length about the developmental projects undertaken by his government – like the Lucknow metro and the expressway.
Speaking about rival political parties, he said, “They gave nothing. There’s a party that has been harping about ushering ‘achche din’ but has caused a lot of damage instead.” Akhilesh said that while his government was busy bridging the digital divide in the state, “another government (centre) was forcing people to stand in queues for hours”.
He also expressed sympathy with the labourers of Noida and Ghaziabad, who, he said, were facing serious problems for the want of money due to demonetisation.
Addressing the laptop beneficiaries, Akhilesh asked them to go to Hazratganj to avail of the free high-speed Wi-Fi facility there. “Every day, thousands of students are benefitting from it,” he said. The CM also interacted with the beneficiaries, asking them about their marks, cracking jokes and posing for pictures with them.
Congress leader Pramod Tewari was present on the occasion. After the ceremony, he and Akhilesh went to the CM’s new office on the fifth floor of Lok Bhawan.