Bhopal, Feb 21 : Geeta Lodhi from Jabalpur stands out among 90,000 students as the first recipient of a laptop under Madhya Pradesh's state scheme for meritorious students. This initiative, backed by a Rs 224 crore fund, rewards students who score 75 per cent or above in higher classes with a laptop. Each qualifying student receives Rs 25,000 directly transferred to their bank account to purchase the device.

 "I am thrilled to receive this laptop," said Geeta, expressing the challenges she faced in her studies here in Bhopal on Friday. She pointed to her brother -- Rahul Lodhi, a distinguished student at the prestigious Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, as her inspiration.Rahul -- an undergraduate student of engineering still does not have a laptop. Geeta achieved an impressive 98.5 per cent in her 12th grade. The Chief Minister even invited Rahul to the podium at RCVP Noronha Academy of Administration and interacted with him here on Friday. The Chief Minister facilitated the fund transfer with a single click under the 'Pratibhashali Vidyarthi Protsahan' scheme, an amount of Rs 25,000 is allocated to meritorious students for laptop purchases.

He urged all the students to properly utilise the funds only for buying laptops. I hope students will buy laptops and will send a copy of the bill to school,' he appealed to the students present on the occasion. In a ceremony in Bhopal, Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav interacted with the laptop recipients. Drawing from the mythological tale of Lord Rama and his brother Lord Laxman, Dr Yadav stressed that just as they triumphed over challenges in their youth, today's youngsters can also overcome obstacles.

He described the laptop and previously distributed scooters as the government's modest contributions to the youth's journey toward success, which will build the nation's future. Under the scheme, eligible students who scored 75 per cent in the MP Board class 12 exams for the current academic year receive the funds. Chief Minister Yadav, just two weeks ago, had distributed scooters to 7,800 meritorious students.

/IANS