Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has ordered the rollout of the Vetri Laptop Scheme, with Rs 2,000 crore set aside to give free laptops to students in government and state-aided institutions. The scheme was announced in the 2026-27 Budget. A government order has now granted administrative sanction for the funds and set out the rollout guidelines.
Who gets a laptop
The scheme covers, for the 2026-27 academic year:
- First- and second-year undergraduates in government and state-aided colleges
- Diploma students in polytechnic and ITI courses
- Students in arts, science, engineering, medicine, veterinary science, agriculture, fisheries and law
It also picks up students who missed out on the free laptop scheme in 2025-26 and are now in the third or fourth year of professional courses at government and state-aided institutions.
The hardware and procurement
Engineering students will get laptops with Intel Core i5 processors or equivalent. The state-run Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) has administrative approval to procure the devices, and the government says they must meet all prescribed quality standards. A high-level committee headed by the Chief Minister will oversee implementation.
Why it matters for the state's tech pipeline
The government's case is that a laptop is now basic equipment for higher education: for online learning, skill programmes and job preparation, especially for students from marginalised and middle-class families.
Looked at from industry, Tamil Nadu's GCCs, electronics plants and startups all hire from exactly this pool of polytechnic, ITI and first-generation graduates. A Core i5 machine in a second-year engineering student's hands can run real development tools, not just a browser.
My take
Allocating the money is the easy part. What decides whether it pays off is whether the laptops arrive early in the academic year, and whether they come with something to do on them: local-language AI and coding courses, internships, and support that outlasts the warranty. I'd also watch ELCOT's delivery timelines, given the size of the order.
Source: Tamil Nadu CM Vijay approves Rs 2,000 crore free laptop scheme for college students, India TV (PTI)
