Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday, November 7, issued an order implementing the Vetri Laptop Scheme, with an allocation of Rs 2,000 crore to provide free laptops to college students across the state. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay ordered the implementation of the scheme, which was announced in the state Budget for 2026-27, according to an official release reported by The Hindu BusinessLine.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine

The scheme is aimed at strengthening students' technological skills, digital access and employability, the government said. 'Vetri' means victory, and the TVK-led government prefixes its welfare initiatives with the word, including its free bus scheme for women, The Hindu BusinessLine reported.

Who will get a laptop

First- and second-year undergraduate and diploma students studying in government and government-aided colleges during the 2026-27 academic year are eligible. The covered courses include arts and science, engineering, polytechnic and ITI programmes, medicine, veterinary science, fisheries, agriculture and law.

Students in the third and fourth years of professional courses who did not receive a laptop under the 2025-26 distribution will also be covered under the new scheme. Engineering students will receive laptops with Intel Core i5 processors or equivalent specifications, in view of their heavier computing requirements.

ELCOT to procure, chief minister-led panel to monitor

Administrative sanction has been accorded to the Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) to procure the laptops and ensure they are certified to meet the prescribed quality standards. A high-level steering committee headed by the chief minister will be formed to oversee implementation of the scheme, the government said.

Source: Careers360

The government order sets out the guidelines for the rollout. The reports did not specify the total number of students who will receive laptops in this round or a distribution date, which are expected to follow ELCOT's procurement process.