Lok Sabha Question No. 4313 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-22
Subject: Digital Skills Training
Ministry: SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Asked by: Sanjay Jaiswal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4313 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.03.2021

## DIGITAL SKILLS TRAINING

## 4313.  DR. SANJAY JAISWAL:

## Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to state:

- (a) whether digital skills are crucial in the post-Covid era by training the jobless, modernise institutions and include cutting-edge technologies in University curricula;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and steps being taken/ results yielded; and
- (c) the steps being taken by the Government for a digital push in healthcare which has  potential  to  advance  medicine  and  health  for  all  along  with  the  State-wise expenditure incurred thereon?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SHRI R.K. SINGH)

- (a) & (b) Yes, Sir. Digital Skills are crucial in the post Covid era to ensure skilling for  the  youth  and  also  to  address  the  requirements  of  Industrial  Revolution  4.0. Directorate General of Training (DGT), under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) plays a key role in the implementation of long-term training schemes including training in the latest cutting edge technologies. DGT has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IBM in June 2020 for Free Digital Learning Platform, 'Skills Build Reignite', to reach more job seekers and provide new resources to business owners in India. The Skills Build Reignite aims to provide job seekers  and  entrepreneurs,  with  access  to  free  online  coursework  and  mentoring support designed to help them reinvent their careers and businesses. Multi-faceted digital  skill  training  in  the  area  of  Cloud  Computing  and  Artificial  Intelligence  is provided  to  students  and  trainers  across  the  country  in  the  National  Skill  Training Institutes.

The National Skill Development Corporation, under MSDE, has created e-Skill India, a multi-lingual portal, providing e-skilling opportunities to the Indian youth. eSkill  India  works  collaboratively  as  an  e-Learning  aggregator  portal  by  establishing strategic  digital  skilling  partnerships  with  knowledge  partners  to  bring  best-in-class digital  opportunities  for  the  India  youth  under  one  roof.  The portal  has  over  900  ecourses and more than 7.5 lakh enrolments. Majority of e-course on e-Skill India are offered for free. Likewise, the Bharat Skills portal, managed by DGT, is for pursuing long-term training through the digital mode.

- (c) To  develop  the  backbone  necessary  to  support  the  integrated  digital  health infrastructure  of  the  country,  the  National  Digital  Health  Mission  (NDHM)  was announced in August 2020. The country-wide digital health eco-system is intended to enable  patients  to  store,  access  and  consent  to  share  their  health  records  with doctors and health facilities of their choice. NDHM is being implemented presently in six  Union  Territories  (Andaman  &  Nicobar  Islands,  Chandigarh,  Dadra  &  Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep, Ladakh and Puducherry) on pilot basis.

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