Free Laptop Yojana 2026: What Is Known and What Is Not

A WhatsApp message promising free laptops to students under a “National Student Laptop Scheme 2026” is circulating again, this time during scholarship renewal season, with a link that asks students to register. There is no such scheme. PIB Fact Check, the government’s fact-checking unit, has called the message fake and says the Government of India has not announced any free laptop scheme. The links are a way to collect students’ personal and bank details.

What the Message Says

The forwards go by several names: “National Student Laptop Scheme 2026”, “Students Laptop Scheme 2026”, “PM Modi Free Laptop Scheme” and “One Student One Laptop”. They say the Centre is accepting applications for free laptops and urge students to register before a deadline. Screenshots shared online show the links opening pages built to look like official portals, with government emblems and forms, Communications Today reported.

The forms ask for Aadhaar numbers, bank account details or UPI handles. Some ask for a one-time password, a small “processing fee”, or for the student to join a Telegram group, CareerIndia reported on 28 October. The links use shortened URLs or look-alike addresses rather than a gov.in site.

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What PIB Fact Check Says

False, says PIB: “A WhatsApp message is circulating claiming that the Government is accepting applications for free laptops under the ‘National Student Laptop Scheme 2026’. This claim is FAKE,” PIB Fact Check said on X, adding that the Government of India has not announced any such scheme.

Fraud, says PIB: in a separate post on the “Students Laptop Scheme 2026” link, PIB called it “a fraudulent message intended to mislead students” and told people not to click such links or share personal details through them.

This is a rumour that keeps returning. PIB debunked a “PM Modi Free Laptop Scheme” in October 2025, a “Students Laptop Scheme 2026” in January 2026, as All India Radio reported on 12 January, and the “National Student Laptop Scheme 2026” in April. The same message is now doing the rounds again.

What Is Real

Confirmed: the Centre runs no free laptop scheme for students. Some state governments do run their own laptop or tablet schemes, for example in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka. Those are announced on the state government’s own website, are open only to students of that state who meet set conditions, and applications go through the student’s school or college or an official state portal. None of them asks for an OTP or a fee through a forwarded link.

Not known: who is behind the current wave of messages, and how many students have entered their details. Neither PIB nor the police have put out a figure, and no arrests linked to this message have been reported.

If You Have Already Filled the Form

Call the national cyber fraud helpline, 1930, or file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in. If you shared bank or UPI details, tell your bank straight away and ask it to watch or block the account. Change any password you entered. Never share an OTP with anyone, whatever the message says. IPB has reported on how fast such frauds move, including ₹647 crore lost to digital arrest scams this year.

Doubtful messages about Central government schemes can be sent to PIB Fact Check on WhatsApp at +91 8799711259 or by email to [email protected].

Source: PIB Fact Check on X and All India Radio, 12 January 2026. Also based on reporting by CareerIndia, Communications Today and Sarkari Yojana.

Image: IPB.