Eighty-five lakh young people. That is the scale Uttar Pradesh is now targeting under a single digital-empowerment scheme — and on Sunday, 15 November 2026, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath formally launched the second phase of the Swami Vivekananda Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana, kicking off tablet distribution for 25 lakh more students across the state.

From 60 Lakh to 85 Lakh: The Scale of the Drive

Speaking at the launch, CM Yogi Adityanath recalled that the scheme's first phase had already placed tablets and smartphones in the hands of 60 lakh students. 'I am pleased that today we are launching a tablet distribution campaign for 25 lakh more youth,' he said, framing the expansion as a direct continuation of the state government's commitment to bridging the digital divide in education.

The Swami Vivekananda Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana — named after the 19th-century philosopher-monk whose vision of youth-led national renewal has long been invoked by Indian policymakers — is Uttar Pradesh's flagship programme for getting digital devices into the hands of students who would otherwise lack access to them.

Why Device Distribution Matters in India's Most Populous State

Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state, home to hundreds of millions of people, with a vast and uneven educational landscape that spans urban colleges and remote rural schools. The gap between students who can afford personal devices and those who cannot has long translated directly into unequal access to digital learning resources, online skill programmes, and competitive examination preparation.

Across India, large states have increasingly turned to device-distribution schemes as a practical lever to reduce this gap — recognising that hardware access is the prerequisite before any digital curriculum or e-learning platform can reach a student. Uttar Pradesh's phased approach mirrors that broader pattern, but the numbers involved make it one of the largest such programmes in the country.

What the New Phase Sets in Motion

The second-phase rollout now puts the focus squarely on execution: reaching 25 lakh recipients, verifying enrolment, and ensuring devices are activated and usable. These are the pressure points where large-scale distribution programmes most often face friction — logistics, last-mile connectivity, and device quality. The state government's ability to move those tablets from warehouses to students' hands in a timely, transparent manner will define how the scheme is ultimately judged.

For the students waiting, the promise is tangible: a device that opens the door to online classrooms, digital textbooks, and a rapidly expanding ecosystem of competitive-exam preparation tools that now lives almost entirely on a screen.