Lucknow: As part of the ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ celebrations, CM Yogi Adityanath will launch a tablet distribution drive for 25 lakh youth under Swami Vivekananda Youth Empowerment Scheme on Sunday. At the inaugural ceremony, to be held at Rashtra Prerna Sthal in Lucknow, tablets will be distributed to more than 50,000 students.A govt spokesperson said that, initially, tablets would be distributed to selected students from 300 educational institutions in Lucknow, Hardoi, Sitapur and Unnao districts. The govt has made a budgetary provision of Rs 2,374.60 crore for this phase.Swami Vivekananda Youth Empowerment Scheme was launched on Dec 25, 2021, and since then, nearly 60 lakh tablets and smartphones have been distributed to students across the state under the scheme.To ensure that the maximum number of students and youth benefit from the scheme, its scope has been kept broad. Students enrolled in courses under various departments, including higher education, technical education, medical education, agricultural education, skill development, vocational training, MSME and export promotion, and empowerment of persons with disabilities, are eligible under the scheme. Students of central universities located in the state have also been included, and there is no income or age limit for eligibility.In addition to providing hardware for digital empowerment, the govt has also developed software to connect students with digital technology. Yuva Saathi portal has been designed as a single platform for UP’s youth, where they can access information related to education, scholarships, skill development, employment, self-employment, entrepreneurship, start-ups, vocational training, competitive examinations, career counselling, sports and health.
