Who is eligible for the scheme?

Visually impaired students with at least 40% disability, who are residents of Odisha, and pursuing professional, undergraduate, postgraduate, M.Phil., or Ph.D. courses are eligible.

How can students apply for the scheme?

Students can apply online via the official website or offline at their district collector's office by submitting a completed application form and required documents.

What documents are required to apply?

Applicants need a disability certificate, Aadhaar card, photograph, and a recommendation letter from the head of their institution.

Can students who previously received a free laptop reapply?

No, students who have already availed a free laptop from this or similar schemes are not eligible to apply again.

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Supply Free Laptops to Visually Impaired Students Pursuing Higher Education - Benefit , Eligibility, And Application

Q: What is the purpose of the free laptop scheme for visually impaired students?

The scheme provides laptops with pre-installed software like JAWS to visually impaired students pursuing higher education in Odisha, enabling them to overcome digital barriers in academics.

Jaagruk Bharat

Author

Updated: 28-01-2025 at 7:18 AM

Supply Free Laptops to Visually Impaired Students Pursuing Higher Education - Benefit , Eligibility, And Application

Education is a crucial tool for learning and empowerment, and technological advancements have made it nearly necessary to provide equal opportunities for visually impaired students to pursue education. On these lines, the government of Odisha introduced a Sarkari Yojana the 'Supply Free Laptops to Visually Impaired Students Pursuing Higher Education' scheme. This bridging gap supports a student with a disability in further pursuit of education. Equipping them with the necessary tools empowers them to walk through their higher education successfully.

Section	Details
Target Audience	Students with visual impairments are pursuing higher education in Odisha.
Eligibility Criteria	Visually impaired students enrolled in recognized colleges or universities.
Benefits	Free laptops with pre-installed software for visually impaired students.
Application Process	Online and offline modes are available.

About The Scheme

The Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department, Government of Odisha, introduced the "Free Supply of Laptops to Visually Impaired Students Pursuing Higher Studies" scheme. The state government scheme provides laptops to visually impaired students who wish to pursue professional courses after XII, including undergraduate and postgraduate programs. A new provision has been introduced to supply laptops as part of the existing "Special Appliances" scheme.

Benefits

After completing the application process and selecting the eligible students, we will distribute the laptops to the students in a structured and transparent manner. The distribution will take place in dedicated camps set up across different regions of the state to ensure accessibility for all eligible students.

The Director of SSEPD will distribute laptops to students upon proper identification at camps organised in various regions of the state, in the presence of public representatives and government officers.
The JAWS software for visually impaired students will be installed on the laptops.

Eligibility

The government program insists that applicants must achieve certain standards to qualify for the program. This ensures that such initiatives do not benefit people who do not need them. Key eligibility requirements include

The applicant must be a resident of Odisha state.
The applicant must have a disability of 40% and above.
The applicant must be pursuing 1st year and above professional courses after +2, Undergraduate or Postgraduate courses including M.Phil., PhD, Law, Management, Medicine, and other technical courses.

Exclusion

This government initiative aimed at bridging the digital gap by giving laptops to those students who deserved them. With the motivation of maintaining fairness and avoiding redundancy, certain eligibility restrictions are built in. These include:

The applicant must not have received a free laptop before.
Students who have already received a similar benefit from another government scheme.

Application Process

The application process has been designed to be simple and accessible, ensuring all eligible candidates can apply without any inconvenience. Applicants may choose either the online or offline procedure based on their preference and accessibility. The steps for each method are detailed below:

Online Procedure

To make the application process handy for the applicants, an online system is accessible to them. The online application procedure follows the following steps:

Step 1: Visit the official website of the department to apply for the scheme.

Step 2: Click "New Application" and then click proceed.

Step 3: The online application for the scheme will open. The applicant may fill in all the details, including the disability certificate.

Step 4: Check the box for "Undertaking", submit details and take a printout copy for reference.

Offline Procedure

For those who prefer or need an offline option, applications can be submitted at the district level. Follow these steps:

Step 1: The interested applicant should visit (during office hours) the concerned Collector's office in your district and request a hard copy of the prescribed format of the application form from the staff exclusively entrusted to issue and collect filled-in applications.

Step 2: In the application form, fill in all the mandatory fields and attach copies of all the mandatory documents (self-attest, if required).

Step 3: Submit the duly filled and signed application form along with the documents to the concerned collector officer.

Step 4: Request a receipt or acknowledgement from the concerned collector officer to whom the application has been submitted. Ensure that the receipt contains essential details such as the date and time of submission and a unique identification number (if applicable).

Documents Required

Proof of eligibility and identity must be established before the application can be accomplished. All necessary documents must be prepared in advance to get things working smoothly. Applicants will require the following documents:.

Disability Certificate.
Aadhaar scan copy.
Scan a copy of the applicant's photo.
Recommendation Certificate (issued by the principal or head of the institution where the student has been enrolled).

Conclusion

The provision of free laptops to visually impaired students is paving the way toward education inclusively. With the pertinent tools in their quest for higher education from the government, they are therefore able to break all barriers to attain academic and professional ambitions.

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