Lucknow:
While the ambitious free laptops scheme of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav may have given him considerable political capital, the state government is yet to foot a whopping Rs 900 crore for the freebies promised during the Assembly elections last year.
Despite fulfilling its side of the bargain and delivering five lakh laptops in record seven months, tech giant Hewlett Packard (HP), which supplied the freebies, has received just a little over Rs 100 crore so far.
The money, to be paid directly to HP by the district magistrates, is yet to reach them. Reason: the payments are caught in the bureaucratic red tape.
"Whatever outstanding dues are there for Hewlett Packard will be cleared," Mr Yadav told NDTV.
The company, however, can only hope the Uttar Pradesh government pays up on time before the deal rocks their balance sheets.
So far, Mr Yadav has already distributed almost 80,000 laptops at various rallies across the state. Still, more than four lakh laptops are lying idle in godowns across the state since the Chief Minister insists on handing them out personally. Rains reportedly have already damaged 75 laptops in Lakhimpuri Kheri district.
In troubleshooting mode, Akhilesh Yadav has hinted that his officers could be responsible for the delay.
"I will try and find out the reasons for the delay. Our job is to formulate the policy and it is the job of the officers to ensure that it's distributed. If I can't distribute them personally, then junior ministers will be asked to distribute them," the Chief Minister told NDTV.