From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jul 19: Even as the academic year 2017-18 has just started, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has come out with new scheme of offering free laptops to students studying in professional courses such as medical, dental, engineering, architecture as also those of science, art and commerce streams in all government and aided colleges in the State.

Around 1.5 lakh students are expected to benefit from the latest Laptop Bhagya scheme.

However, the free laptops will be given only to students, the annual income of whose parents is less than Rs 2.5 lakh per year. 

This bonanza would cost the State exchequer around Rs 300 crore, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters while briefing on the decisions taken at the State Cabinet meeting here on Wednesday.

The Cabinet also strongly opposed the new National disaster Response Fund (NDRF) parameters for drought assessment.

The new manual for drought management limits Centre’s scope to offer financial assistance to states in the eventuality of drought, Jayachandra said.

The new guidelines linked to the groundwater situation as well sowing of crops less than 50 per cent of area. 

Earlier, when the taluk get deficit rainfall for four consecutive weeks would be declared drought-hit.

The new conditions included in the norms would make it more difficult for the states to prove ‘severe’ drought conditions and get relief from the Centre, the minister said explaining that the yardstick to measure severity of drought has been made stricter.

The State has declared 160 taluks as drought hit.

Under the new guidelines, out of 160 taluks only 38 taluks would be eligible to declare drought hit and get relief from the Centre, he said and wondered how to help the people in the taluks facing scarcity conditions.