Tamil Nadu to distribute 2 lakh HCL ME Laptops free to students

Chennai: HCL Infosystems today announced the receipt of a contract from Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd. (ELCOT). The company said that it has been selected as a leading vendor for the Government of Tamil Nadu project – Free Distribution of Laptops to students of Government and State Aided Schools & Colleges across the state. The order is worth Rs. 278 crore order. ELCOT is the nodal agency for procurement of laptops for the project. This is the first phase of the 5-year project and in this phase HCL will supply 2 lakh laptops out of a total order volume of 9 lakh laptop units.

The laptops will also cover both Open source “BOSS” operating system as well as Microsoft Windows. ELCOT is also planning with other respective government organizations to provide a few useful educational applications along with each laptop. These applications will be then pre-loaded in the HCL Laptops.

Speaking on the occasion, APS Bedi, Executive Vice President, HCL Infosystems said, “The efforts made by the Government of Tamil Nadu & ELCOT for encouraging ICT enabled education are truly commendable and we look forward to this continued association. We are confident that such initiatives will boost PC penetration and democratize access to technology by students.”

The laptops will be distributed to students in 7 districts comprising of 24 Taluk Offices. The company will also set up its Service Centres in all of these Taluks to offer comprehensive maintenance and handle any service requests. The project is an integral part of the Tamil Nadu government’s vision in enhancing the role of technology in the state education system. The project will enhance PC adoption among students in the state and the student community is expected to immensely benefit from the scheme.