Bengaluru: The State Government that had announced free laptop scheme for college students in its budget for the year 2017-18, has decided to implement it. The Cabinet meeting held yesterday gave the green signal for the Social Welfare and Education Departments to go ahead with the scheme.

The students who have just passed their senior secondary examination and are getting admissions into colleges in 2017-18 academic year would be eligible for free laptop scheme.

The laptops would be distributed to students getting admission to post-graduate courses, engineering, medical, polytechnic and first grade colleges.

However, the students who get admission in government colleges would only be entitled to get free laptop under the scheme. The scheme would provide benefits to about 1.5 lakh students.

The departments would use the funds which are collected under the specific Act for the SC/ST community, TSP and SC/SP to purchase laptops. He assured that best quality laptops would be provided to the students.

As per the data available from the department, there are over 35,000 students who will benefit from this scheme. The only condition that the students must fulfil to get the laptop is that they should belong to SC/ST communities. Only first year students will be given laptops.

In 2014, the State had proposed free laptop scheme for 10.5 lakh students studying in all government and private colleges but the scheme was dropped due to high cost (about Rs. 3,000 crore) to the exchequer.

The new scheme however would cost about Rs. 450 crore if the cost of each laptop is Rs. 30,000.