Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 7 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin felicitated the winners of Tamil Nadu Skill Competition 2025 on Wednesday.

During the event, he highlighted the state government's efforts to boost student employability through skill development initiatives.

So far, 1200 students have secured jobs, and the government plans to organise over 100 job melas by June, featuring top companies like Infosys, Tata, and TVS.

He also said that Chief Minister MK Stalin has launched a free laptop scheme to support students.

During the event, Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin said,' Our skill development department has been working to uplift and help students. 1200 students have got jobs through our skill development department. By June, more than 100 job melas are to be organised by our government, where leading companies like Infosys, Tata, TVS, etc., will participate. Even those companies come forward to provide them with skills and recruit them. Our CM has inaugurated the free laptop scheme, which will be helpful to students...'

On December 26, Stalin launched and inaugurated a series of development projects worth over Rs 1,700 crore in Kallakurichi district, while strongly criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and asserting that Tamil Nadu has emerged as a model of inclusive growth under the Dravidian model of governance.

Addressing a public gathering in Veeracholapuram, Stalin laid the foundation stone for new projects worth Rs 386.48 crore, inaugurated completed works worth Rs 341.77 crore, and provided government welfare assistance worth Rs 1045.41 crore. Across various government departments, a total of Rs 1,773 crore and 68 lakhs were allocated; new projects worth Rs 1,773 crore were launched; and welfare schemes were implemented.

The Chief Minister said, 'The BJP-ruled states are a different India, with poverty, religious violence, murders, and unemployment, and the India of the BJP is the only one.' He added that 'no matter how many slaves the BJP, which is doing religious politics, recruits and beats up, it cannot incite religious fanaticism among the people of Tamil Nadu, who live in unity.'

Highlighting welfare initiatives, Stalin said over 3.18 lakh women in Kallakurichi are benefiting under the Kalaignar Women's Rights Scheme, while nearly 46,000 students from 741 schools receive benefits under the breakfast scheme. He added that over 28,000 people have benefited under the Thayumaanavar scheme, 3,834 youths under the Naan Mudhalvan initiative, and 1,694 female students receive monthly financial assistance. He also said that women in the district have availed free bus travel more than 11 crore times.

The Chief Minister further highlighted industrial growth, noting that a Rs 2,302 crore industrial unit in Ulundurpet has created employment for around 20,000 people. He added that Tamil Nadu continues to attract foreign investment and has strengthened sectors such as education, public transport, sports, heritage conservation, and children's nutrition.

He said that 'special attention has been given to Kallakurichi in all the schemes implemented by the Dravidian model and made eight new announcements for the Kallakurichi district from the stage.'

He said that 'it is only in Tamil Nadu that women work in high-end factories, students who study in hostels in government-run schools have been selected to study in top institutions like IIT and NIT. A colony factory has been established in Ulundurpet at a cost of Rs 2302 crore, employing 20,000 people. India also has the best public transport system.

Stalin added that 'foreign investment is also coming to Tamil Nadu, Keezhadi Research, Valluvar Kottam, and Victoria Hall have been renovated and opened, Nutritional food has been provided to children for their healthy growth, and reservations have been provided in local governments for the differently-abled.'

'Tamil Nadu has made progress to the point where it has created a peaceful living environment in Tamil Nadu where religious fanatics do not fear it, and that 20 lakh students will be provided with laptops with an AI subscription. Growth rate under the AIADMK regime has not even reached 5 per cent, and he is expressing it as a challenge, and that Tamil Nadu has been ruined under the ten-year AIADMK regime,' Stalin further added. (ANI)