CHENNAI: Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, while presenting the interim budget, said that as many as 6,75,888 college students have received free laptops under the Ulagam Ungal Kaiyil (The world in your hands) scheme launched by Chief Minister M K Stalin.
The scheme, which aims to benefit 10 lakh students at a total outlay of `2,172 crore, is intended to strengthen digital access and enhance technical skills among college students across Tamil Nadu. The scheme was launched on January 5.
Higher education department officials said that by February-end they will manage to achieve the target and provide laptops to 10 lakh beneficiaries.
The finance minister allocated Rs 8,505 crore to the Higher Education department for 2026-27, a marginal increase of Rs 11 crore from Rs 8,494 crore in 2025-26.
In a key announcement, the composite block grant to state universities has been increased to Rs 767 crore from Rs 700 crore last year, marking a Rs 67-crore hike. A dedicated Performance Fund of Rs 175 crore has been created to drive measurable improvements in governance, research output and academic standards in state-run universities.
The finance minister said, as announced in last year’s budget, the government has also earmarked Rs 1,380 crore to transform Anna University into a premier institution in Asia. Under the ‘Perunthalaivar Kamarajar College Development Scheme’, Rs 909 crore has been allocated over the past four years to modernise infrastructure in arts and science, engineering and polytechnic colleges.
To align higher education with emerging industry demands, eight new academic programmes, including Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Manufacturing, have been introduced in 11 government engineering colleges. Centres of Excellence will be established in Salem, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli to enhance employability skills.
On the social justice front, the state has incurred an expenditure of Rs 1,512 crore to bear tuition and hostel costs for 54,301 students admitted under the 7.5% reservation for government school students, the minister said.