Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Wednesday, December 5 decided to bear the education expenses of girl students pursuing pre-university, graduation and post-graduate courses in colleges run by it.

The scheme, approved by the state cabinet that met here, would come into effect from this academic year and the government would bear the college fees of 3.7 lakh girls, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Krishna Byregowda told reporters here.

This scheme benefiting 3.7 lakh girls in the state would cost Rs 95 crore to the state exchequer annually, he said.

The cabinet also gave its consent to a tourism promotion policy that would encourage films to be shot in tourist destinations in the state.

The tourism department would pay an honorarium ranging from Rs one crore to Rs 2.5 crore depending upon the scale of the film project, he said.

Among others, the cabinet approved simplifying the procedure for change of land use from agriculture to residential and other purposes, revival of ailing sugar factory in Bidar and modernisation of Ghataprabha Left Bank Canal at an expenditure of Rs 573 crore.

It also approved and revision of allowances for employees as recommended in the sixth pay commission, which would incur an annual additional expenditure of Rs 400 crore.