ELCOT inks MoU with Perplexity AI to train college students in Tamil Nadu

The Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited (ELCOT) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Perplexity AI to provide training to college students in Tamil Nadu in Perplexity Pro AI for six months free of cost, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said on Thursday (December 18, 2025).

In a statement, the Deputy Chief Minister rejected the criticism of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami over the distribution of laptops to students in the middle of the academic year. Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin said the announcement for distribution of laptops was made in the Budget session.

Once students returned after the vacation for Christmas and New Year, laptops would be distributed to them in all districts in phases, the Deputy Chief Minister said. By February, 10 lakh laptops would be distributed to students.

The Deputy Chief Minister contended that the AIADMK leader was against the distribution of laptops to students and further charged, “Mr. Palaniswami has been consistently expressing the intention of the fascist BJP that the students of Tamil Nadu should not get education and develop.”

Charging that Mr. Palaniswami was attempting to prevent the distribution of laptops, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin said his government would certainly distribute the laptops and that neither Mr. Palaniswami nor “his Delhi owners” could prevent the distribution.

The government was intending to distribute laptops to students with software that could be used by engineers, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin said, and added that ELCOT had signed an MoU with Microsoft in this regard.

During an event in Chennai, the Deputy Chief Minister inaugurated an exhibition organised by the Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women involving women self-help groups at Nungambakkam in Chennai.