Patna: Cash-strapped Bihar will soon have its lawmakers armed with laptops to serve people. The 318 members of the Bihar Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council will soon have laptops at their disposal with constituency-wise data detailing demographic profile, caste configurations, trends of previous elections and status of development schemes.

The state will have to fork out an estimated Rs 3,81,60,000 to make its lawmakers computer literate with each set costing Rs 1.2 lakh.

The 20-odd legislators, who had gathered at the auditorium in the legislative complex annexe for a demonstration by the experts of international computer major Hewlett-Packard, appreciated the great usefulness of laptops in understanding and solving the problems of the people and demanded that the contraption be made available to them without any further delay.

The Government had during the Budget session in February-March this year announced to gift laptops to the legislators following which Hewlett-Packard was asked to hold a demonstration for the lawmakers.

However, the poor turnout of legislators was a major disappointment for the company representatives who had expected Chief Minister Rabri Devi and Assembly Speaker Sadanand Singh to be present.

PTI