Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on December 6 announced the launch of a new free laptop distribution scheme for college students, aimed at strengthening digital education and skill development. The scheme, titled ‘Ulagam Ungal Kaiyil’ (The World Is in Your Hands), is designed to empower students to compete globally by giving them access to modern technology.
Unveiling the initiative, the Chief Minister said the laptops should be seen not as gifts, but as opportunities to shape one’s future. He described the programme as an investment in the education of the next generation rather than an expense, and urged students to make the best use of the facilities provided to them by the government.
Under the scheme, a total of 20 lakh laptops will be distributed, with 10 lakh laptops to be handed out in the first phase itself. The State government has allocated Rs 2,000 crore for the initiative in the current financial year. Students studying in government-run institutions, including polytechnic colleges and Industrial Training Institutes, will be eligible, covering streams such as engineering, arts and science, medicine, agriculture and law.
The laptops to be distributed will be from leading brands such as Dell, HP and Acer, equipped with Intel i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 processors, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD storage. They will come with Windows 11 Home Strategic, BOSS Linux OS and MS Office 365. In addition, students will also receive a free six-month subscription to Perplexity Pro AI.
Drawing a comparison with major human discoveries, the Chief Minister described artificial intelligence as the “second fire” gifted to humanity and said the laptops are meant to help students use AI responsibly and creatively. He encouraged students to dream beyond just earning a degree and asked them to use the laptops as a launch pad for their careers, aiming to reach the top in whatever field they choose.
