BENGALURU: The long-pending scheme to provide free laptops to college students will finally see the light of day with the cabinet on Friday approved the roll out. An announcement to extend the scheme that was limited to students of only SC/ST community to first-year degree students of all categories was announced earlier this year. 1,09,916 students pursuing degree courses in all colleges under Higher Education Department will receive free laptops at the cost of Rs 311 crores. Since students who were initially identified as beneficiaries of the scheme have proceeded to a second-year degree, only for this year, they will be considered for the scheme along with first-year degree students.

The cabinet also gave its nod to a new scheme - Chief Minister Grameena Sumarga - that ensures the maintenance of priority rural roads. About 24,246 kms of rural roads across the state will be taken up for asphalting, repair, patchwork, reconstruction etc as required on a phase-wise manner annually for the next five years at the cost of Rs 7,182 crores. 

Apart from the existing 50 per cent reservation for forest dwellers in posts of forest watchers, the cabinet approved 30 per cent reservation for the community for posts of forest guards. The cabinet has approved a revision of salaries for more than 3,600 temple workers including clerks and sanitation workers in temples under the Muzrai department. 

The cabinet has also approved hospital and related developmental works in Ramanagara at a cost of more than Rs 400 crore. Tumakuru and Kunigal that have been struggling to get water from Hemavathi could finally get relief with the cabinet approving two irrigation projects to ensure flow of water to Tumakuru and pipeline connectivity for Kunigal.