by reciprocal arrangement with Star of Mysore

Bangalore, Mar 30: The State Government, which is planning to ban arrack and lottery in the State, is preparing to sacrifice the Government Kannada schools to make up for the financial loss.

It has prepared documents to hand over 50,000 Government schools to Premji Foundation of Azim Premji, Chairman of WIPRO, from the present academic year, it is learnt.

Premji, who has consented to the offer of the Government in a written agreement, is said to have put forward some conditions.

The Government schools which were established by the kings of the State for the benefit and development of rural and poor students are in a pathetic condition now. These schools will come under the control of Premji from June 1 this year and will be managed by his enterprise WIPRO. All the Government schools which has classes from one to ten will be managed by WIPRO and the employees of Primary and Higher Education Department will become its employees in every sense.

The Government is also learnt to have agreed to part with the Centre's Rs. 1,500 crore annual grant for the schools to Premji Foundation along with all the benefits from the State Government.

During the tenure of S.M. Krishna, the Government had entered into an agreement with Premji Foundation to provide mid-day meals and to develop Government schools in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, which has been productive.