Chennai, Jan 4 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will on Monday launch the first phase of his governmentâ??s flagship digital empowerment initiative, "Ulagam Ungal Kaiyil" (The World in Your Hands), aimed at strengthening access to technology among college students across the state.

The programme will be inaugurated at the Chennai Trade Centre at 3 p.m., with Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin also scheduled to attend the event.

Under the first phase of the scheme, the state government will distribute 10 lakh laptops to students pursuing higher education in government institutions.

Beneficiaries include students enrolled in government engineering colleges, arts and science colleges, medical colleges, agricultural universities, law colleges, polytechnics, and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).

The initiative forms part of a larger two-phase plan to provide a total of 20 lakh laptops to college students, a commitment announced earlier by the Chief Minister.

According to an official release, the scheme is designed to bridge the digital divide and ensure that students from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds are not left behind in an increasingly technology-driven education and employment landscape.

The programme builds on the Dravidian model governmentâ??s student-centric welfare initiatives, such as Tamil Pudhalvan, Pudhumai Penn, the First Graduate Scholarship, Post-Matric Scholarships and Social Justice Hostels, an official statement said.

The laptops to be distributed under the scheme are sourced from leading global manufacturers, including Dell, Acer, and HP. Each device will be equipped with either an Intel i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 processor, 8 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD storage. The laptops will come pre-installed with Windows 11, BOSS Linux and MS Office 365, along with a six-month free subscription to the AI-powered Perplexity Pro platform.

Beneficiaries will also receive a high-quality laptop bag.

The state government said the initiative is not limited to supporting academic learning alone, and is also intended to enhance studentsâ?? employability by improving digital literacy, software skills and familiarity with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence tools, coding platforms, and freelancing ecosystems.

By expanding access to digital resources, the government aims to create long-term social and economic mobility for students and prepare them to compete effectively in a rapidly evolving job market.

/IANS