From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jan 3: Laptop Bhagya is finally on hand for as many as 1.5 lakh undergraduate and diploma students belonging to poorer families irrespective of their castes and religion across Karnataka.

Students of families whose income below Rs 2.5 lakh per year are eligible to receive free laptops. 

The actual laptop price in the market is Rs 22,000 and the State Government has procured them in bulk at a cost of Rs 14,500 each.

A Legislature committee, which looked into lapses in the procurement of laptops, had recently allowed the State Government to go ahead with the scheme for distribution of laptops to poorer students.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who had announced the scheme in the budget for the year 2017-18, distributed laptops for a few students of Bengaluru urban district at a function held at Banquet Hall of the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Higher Education Minister Basavaraja Rayareddy and Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya were among the others present on the occasion. 

District-in-charge ministers would distribute laptops free of cost in their respective districts.

In his 2017-18 budget, Siddaramaiah had announced free laptops for 1.5 lakh engineering, medical, polytechnic and first grade college students at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore.

Legislative Council Chairman D H Shankaramurthy constituted the House panel headed by Congress MLC K C Kondaiah, after MLCs, especially from opposition BJP had alleged irregularities in the free laptop scheme in the recent Belagavi legislature session.