Lok Sabha Question No. 31 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-11-29
Subject: Digi Saksham Programme
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Bidyut Baran Mahato, Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik, Subrata Pathak, Shrirang Appa Barne, Sudheer Gupta, Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Parbatbhai Savabhai Patel, Prataprao  Jadhav, Naranbhai Bhikhabhai Kachhadiya

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 31 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29 TH  NOVEMBER, 2021

## DIGI SAKSHAM PROGRAMME

31. SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

SHRI SANJAY SADASHIVRAO MANDLIK:

SHRI SUBRAT PATHAK:

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:

SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV:

SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIYA:

SHRI PARBATBHAI SAVABHAI PATEL:

SHRI MANOJ TIWARI:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has launched any Digi Saksham Programme recently in joint venture with Microsoft India;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  key  fact  or  salient  features  of  the  said programme ;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to provide free of cost training to rural youth in the  field  of  digital  skills  including  basic  skills  and  advance  computing  through National Career Service Portal and if so, the details thereof and the steps taken in this regard;
- (d) whether the Government is also considering free of cost training to disadvantaged group of the society who have been adversely affected by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the details of funds sanctioned and released under the said programme during the current year; and
- (f) the  number  of  youths,  particularly  from  rural  areas  who  get  benefitted  by  the training under the said programme?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)

- (a) to (d) Yes, Ministry of Labour and Employment has partnered with Microsoft India and launched DigiSaksham  a joint digital skills  programme  to  enhance  the employability of youth by imparting digital skills that are required in an increasingly technology  driven  era.  This  initiative  is  an  extension  of  the  Government's  ongoing programs to support the youth from rural and semi-urban areas to acquire digital skills for  better  career  opportunities.  The  salient  features  of  the  programme  are:  (i)  to support government's accelerated efforts to skill youth for employment; (ii) to develop standardized  curriculum  and  content  that  would  be  able  to  meet  the  continuously evolving demands of the industry; and (iii) to transform 'youth' into a 'workplace ready professional' through knowledge acquisition and skill development.

Under  this  programme,  various  free  of  cost  courses  such  as  Excel,  Azure,  Security Fundamentals  and  HTML  are  provided  to  the  NCS  jobseekers  through  Self-Paced Learning, Virtual Instructor Led Training Mode and Instructor Led Training Mode. The DigiSaksham  Programme  gives  priority  to  the  jobseekers  of  semi  urban  areas belonging to disadvantaged groups of the society, including those who have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 pandemic.

- (e)  The  Government  of  India  has  neither  sanctioned  nor  released  any  funds  for  this programme. However, Microsoft India has contributed funds in this programme through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mandate to train jobseekers on digital skills.
- (f)  The  total  number  of  youths  who  got  benefitted  by  the  training  of  the  said programme are as under:

| Jobseekers registered till date for training         |   13079 |
|------------------------------------------------------|---------|
| Trained through Virtual Instructor Led Training Mode |    2095 |
| Trained through Self-paced learning                  |    5897 |

******