The Government of India launched the “Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA)” to promote digital literacy in rural areas. Through this initiative, approximately 7.35 crore candidates were enrolled, with 6.39 crore receiving training. Of these, 4.78 crore candidates successfully obtained certification. State and Union Territory-wise details are provided at the end.
Key features of the PMGDISHA scheme include:
1. The scheme targeted only rural areas, specifically at the Gram Panchayat/Village level, aiming to cover 6 crore rural households (one person per household).
2. Beneficiaries received 20 hours of training, consisting of five modules: (i) Introduction to digital devices, (ii) Operating digital devices, (iii) Introduction to the internet, (iv) Communications using the internet, and (v) Application of the internet, which includes citizen-centric services and the use of financial tools for digital cashless transactions.
3. The training content was available in 22 scheduled languages and English, offered both online and offline. Additionally, in line with the government’s emphasis on promoting cashless transactions through mobile phones, the content covered digital wallets, mobile banking, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS), and PoS.
4. After completing the training, candidates underwent a third-party assessment by recognized certifying agencies, including the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Haryana Knowledge Corporation Limited (HKCL), and ICT Academy of Tamil Nadu (ICTACT). Successful candidates received Digitally Signed Certificates, which were directly uploaded to their Digi-Locker accounts.
Furthermore, the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT), an autonomous scientific society under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), conducts various skill development programs in the Information Technology & Electronics domain. These programs are offered through its 52 centers, over 720 accredited institutes, and more than 9,500 facilitation centers across the country.
- PIB
