Addressing an event organised by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)- led Tamil Nadu government to distribute 200,000 free laptops to eligible college students in the state under the “Ulagam Ungal Kaiyil” (The world is in your hands) scheme on Monday, former chief economic advisor to the central government, Arvind Subramanian said that Tamil Nadu served as a model to the “Hindi heartland” in terms of development keeping in mind the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism.
“If India has to develop in some ways, then the Hindi heartland has to become what Tamil Nadu is today,” said Subramanian.
Stalin said that the scheme wasn’t treated as an expense but an investment for the future of students. “Don’t stop with just one or two degrees, everyone must continue to update themselves with new technology. AI cannot replace human beings. It can only help us work faster and more efficiently. We must use it wisely and rise higher in life,” Stalin said. “The choice is yours. Will you use this laptop only for gaming, or will you use it to advance your education? Study with confidence and I will take care of everything.”
Continuing his address, Subramanian said that investors believe that the risk of doing business in Tamil Nadu is far lower than other countries and states. “If you look at China, it has captured the future because it has become the world’s most powerful state where its electricity is powered by renewables. That is the secret of China. Whatever you do, you need energy,” Subramanian said. “Going forward, Tamil Nadu has to ramp up its power and energy sectors and then capture the future of digital and AI through schemes like Ulagam Ungal Kaiyil- therefore the future belongs to you students.”
The distribution of free laptops took place a day after chief minister and DMK president MK Stalin announced a cash dole of ₹3,000 for all rice ration card holders and families living in rehabilitation camps for displaced Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, to mark Pongal.
In addition to the laptops, the scheme announced on Monday also provides students a six-month subscription to Perplexity Pro, a search engine powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The government allocated a sum of ₹2,000 crore towards the initiative. In its first phase, students in government colleges and aided colleges who received government scholarships or joined the colleges through a 7.5% quota were eligible.