Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday chaired a meeting to review the steps being taken for the distribution of laptops to about 20 lakh college students in the State.
During the meeting, the Deputy Chief Minister instructed officials to speed up the distribution of laptops, an official release said.
Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam said the distribution plan had been prepared and that the tenders would be floated soon.
Need for technical skills
While presenting the Budget for 2025-26, Minister for Finance Thangam Thennarasu had said that at a time when artificial intelligence was reshaping the world, there was a need to continuously equip students with advanced technical knowledge and skills training.
The government has planned to provide high-tech devices to students studying in various colleges, including arts, science, engineering, agriculture and medicine, he said.
“In the first phase, 20 lakh college students will be provided with a tablet or laptop, based on their preference, over the next two years. Launched with the objective of ensuring that our youth succeed in the high-tech world of the future, an amount of ₹2,000 crore will be allocated for this scheme in the financial year 2025-26,” Mr. Thennarasu further said.
Minister for Higher Education Govi. Chezhiaan, Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and senior officials took part in the meeting.
Published – May 20, 2025 12:40 am IST
