AI SummaryUttar Pradesh government has cleared the purchase of 25 lakh tablets for free distribution to students under Swami Vivekananda Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana. A budget provision of ₹2,374.60 crore has been kept for the 2026-27 financial year, and purchase orders are now being issued to the selected supply firms.
Students in graduation, post-graduation, diploma, ITI and skill training courses will get these tablets without paying anything. Around 60 lakh smartphones and tablets have already gone out since the scheme started in 2021-22, so this fresh lot of 25 lakh tablets sits on top of that number.
UP Free Tablet Scheme 2026 - Status Check on DigiShakti Portal
One point confuses most students, so clear it up first. There is no application form here. Students do not register anywhere and no student login is created on DigiShakti portal. Your college or university collects the data of eligible students, and a nodal officer uploads it. After that you only complete Aadhaar e-KYC and keep checking your status.
STEP 1 - Open digishakti.up.gov.in in any browser on your phone or computer. This is the only official portal for this scheme. Any other site asking for your Aadhaar number or an application fee is fake, so stay away from it.
STEP 2 - Go to the Student Corner section on the homepage. Pick your University, Board, Society or Council from the dropdown, then pick your College or Institution from the next dropdown.
STEP 3 - Type your enrollment number exactly the way your college gave it. One wrong digit and the search shows nothing. Fill the captcha code on the screen and click Search.
STEP 4 - Your current status opens on the screen. If it asks for Aadhaar checking, click the e-KYC through MeriPehchaan button and finish the Aadhaar OTP step. Your Aadhaar has to be linked with a working mobile number for this to go through.
STEP 5 - After e-KYC is done, watch the SMS alerts on the mobile number your college has on record. Distribution date and venue are almost always announced by the college, not by the portal.
What Your DigiShakti Status Actually Means
Students often see a one word status and panic without knowing what it means. Each word points to a different stage of the file, and only one of them needs action from your side.
- Pending Verification means your institution has pushed the data but the university or department has not signed off yet. Nothing to do, just wait.
- Approved means your details are checked and accepted. You are in line for a device and the college will call you when the lot arrives.
- Failed or Rejected means something did not match, usually the name spelling, father's name or Aadhaar number. Go to your college nodal officer with correct papers.
- Device Distributed means the tablet or smartphone is already marked as handed over against your name. If you never got it, raise it with the college at once.
Who Will Get Free Tablet in 2026
Cabinet note for this round is fairly clear about who is in the queue. Final year students of approved courses are the first priority, and the list runs across higher education, technical education, health education, ITI and skill training. Youth registered for skill development training also qualify, even though they are not sitting in a regular college.
In simple words, you should be a student of Uttar Pradesh studying in a recognized institution in the state, and your name must be in the data your college sends. Students from other states studying in a UP institution are also covered, so a Bihar or Jharkhand student in a Lucknow college is not left out.
- Graduation and post-graduation students in colleges affiliated to UP state universities.
- Diploma and technical education students, including polytechnic and engineering courses.
- Health education students such as nursing, paramedical and pharmacy courses.
- ITI trainees and skill development candidates registered with recognized training centers.
Budget and Purchase Details for 2026-27
Yogi Adityanath cabinet approved the final bid document for 25 lakh tablets in its April 2026 meeting. Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said at the time that the state will bear the full cost and students pay nothing. Purchase of these 25 lakh tablets was pegged at roughly ₹3,000 crore, with ₹2,000 crore parked in the 2025-26 accounts.
Money for the 2026-27 year has now been fixed at ₹2,374.60 crore. Uttar Pradesh Budget 2026-27, presented in February, had already signalled 40 lakh fresh tablets and smartphones for youth under this head. Selected supply firms are next in line to receive purchase orders, which is the last paperwork step before tablets start moving to districts.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Scheme Name | Swami Vivekananda Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana (UP Free Tablet Scheme) |
| Launched By | Uttar Pradesh government, CM Yogi Adityanath |
| Started In | December 2021, running for five years |
| New Approval | 25 lakh tablets for free distribution |
| Budget 2026-27 | ₹2,374.60 crore |
| Devices Given So Far | About 60 lakh tablets and smartphones |
| Eligible Students | UG, PG, diploma, technical, health education, ITI and skill training |
| Cost To Student | Nil, fully borne by state government |
| Application Mode | No student application, data uploaded by college or university |
| Official Website | digishakti.up.gov.in |
Which Tablets and Smartphones Are Handed Out
Three companies supply devices for this scheme, Samsung, Acer and Lava. Which one you get depends on the lot allotted to your district and college, and students do not get to choose a brand.
On the tablet side, Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite LTE (T225) carries 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, an octa core processor and a 5100 mAh battery. Lava T81n and Acer One 8 T4-82L come with 2GB RAM, 32GB storage and quad core processors, also on 5100 mAh batteries. Smartphones given in earlier rounds were Samsung A03 or A03s and Lava Z3, both with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage.
Storage on most of these can be pushed up with a memory card, which matters because lecture videos eat space fast. Devices come with a warranty and the portal lists Samsung, Acer and Lava service centers under its Tablet and Mobile Service Center page, so repairs go to the company, not to the college.
If Your Name Is Not Showing in the List
Missing name almost always traces back to the college, not to the government. Data goes college to university to portal, and a gap anywhere in that chain keeps you out of the list.
Start with your college nodal officer and ask whether your enrollment data was uploaded at all. If it was uploaded and shows as failed, get the mismatched field corrected on the spot, whether that is your name spelling, date of birth or Aadhaar number. Corrected data goes through checking by the institution, approval by the university and locking by the department, after which it comes back to you for Aadhaar verification once more. Give it a week or two before you check again, because backlogs at university level are common.
How Scheme Has Run Since 2021
Yogi Adityanath launched the device distribution drive on 25 December 2021 at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, on Vajpayee's birth anniversary. About 60,000 students got devices that day. Distributing two crore tablets and smartphones was part of BJP's 2017 and 2022 promises in the state.
Since then the scheme has moved in lots. Cabinet cleared 10 lakh tablets and 25 lakh smartphones in March 2023 with ₹1,800 crore behind it, and another large round followed in 2024-25. By early 2026 the running total stood near 60 lakh devices, with tablets making up a smaller share than smartphones.
Free device schemes are not new to the state. Akhilesh Yadav government had started a free laptop scheme for Class 12 pass students back in 2012, with distribution beginning from Lucknow in March 2013. Current scheme is wider, since it covers ITI trainees and skill candidates and not only board toppers.
What Students Should Do Right Now
Two things are worth doing this month. First, check that your Aadhaar is linked to a mobile number you actually use, because the whole e-KYC step runs on that OTP. Second, ask your college whether your batch data has gone up to the portal for this round, and fix any spelling or date error while the file is still open.
Distribution dates for the 25 lakh tablets have not been announced yet. Purchase orders are still being issued, and colleges usually get a few days notice before a lot lands. Watching your college notice board is more useful than refreshing the portal every day.
FAQ's
Do students have to apply online for UP Free Tablet Scheme 2026?
No. There is no application form and no student login. Colleges and universities upload student data to DigiShakti portal, and students only complete Aadhaar e-KYC and check status using their enrollment number.
Will everyone get a tablet or can it be a smartphone?
This round of 25 lakh devices is specifically tablets. Earlier rounds mixed both, with smartphones usually going to general degree courses and tablets to technical, medical and diploma streams.
Is there an income limit for the free tablet?
State government has not put out an income cap for this round. Selection is based on your course, your year of study and whether your college has uploaded and verified your data.
What if the tablet stops working after a few months?
Devices come with a company warranty. Take the bill or warranty card in the box to an authorized Samsung, Acer or Lava service centre. Service centre addresses are listed on digishakti.up.gov.in itself.
Can a student from another state studying in UP get a tablet?
Yes. Students from other states enrolled in a recognized Uttar Pradesh institution are covered, as long as the institution uploads their data with the rest of the batch.
How many devices has the scheme given out so far?
About 60 lakh tablets and smartphones since 2021-22, as stated by the state finance minister. The 25 lakh tablets approved now are in addition to that count.
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