Lok Sabha Question No. 4314 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-26
Subject: PMGDISHA  in Tamil Nadu
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Dr. D Ravi Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4314

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 26.03.2025

## PMGDISHA IN TAMIL NADU

## 4314.  DR. D RAVI KUMAR:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

(a)  the  distribution  of  the  number  of  Pradhan  Mantri  Gramin  Digital  Saksharta  Abhiyan (PMGDISHA)  centres  currently  operational  across  the  country  including  Tamil  Nadu, village-wise;

(b) the number of digital literacy training sessions conducted under PMGDISHA along with the  measures  that  have  been  taken  to  ensure  the  smooth  resumption  of  regular  training  at these centres since the COVID-19 pandemic;

(c) the employment opportunities or skill-based benefits available to certified beneficiaries of the PMGDISHA scheme both at the National and Tamil Nadu levels; and

(d) whether the Government has undertaken any studies to assess the impact of PMGDISHA on digital literacy and employment generation particularly in rural areas of Tamil Nadu and if so, the findings thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a):  The Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) was initiated to reach  digital  literacy  in  6  crore  rural  households  (one  person  per  household)  nationwide including  the  State  of  Tamil  Nadu.  The  training  &  certification  under  the  scheme  was officially  concluded  on  March  31 st ,  2024.  The  Scheme  was  implemented  by  CSC  eGovernance  Services  India  Limited  through  4.39  Lakh  Common  Service  Centres  spread across  2.52  Lakh  Gram  Panchayats  across  the  country.  As  against  6  crore,  6.39  crore individuals  were  trained  across  the  country.    To  ensure  equitable  geographical  coverage across  the  country,  a  Gram  Panchayat  centric  approach  was  adopted  under  the  scheme. Hence,  the  targets  was  assigned  and  monitored  for  each  of  the  Gram  Panchayats  in  the country and not at village level.

(b):  The  scheme  continued  during  the  COVID-19  pandemic  in  a  graded  fashion  while adhering  to  the  relaxation  provided  by  the  guidelines/directives  issued  by  the  respective Central/State/District  Administration.  The  quality  of  training  under  PMGDISHA  scheme were kept intact with the objectives across all training centres /CSC through the following measures:

- Training provided with standardized multimedia content in 22 Languages accessible in multimodal format for all candidates across all training centres / CSCs;
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in-line with the Covid-19 protocols were created and shared with all Training Centres for training and examination;
- Virtual sessions and workshops were conducted with the Training Centres to motivate them to re-start their activities;
- Refresher trainings were provided to registered/ trained candidates, who were unable to appear for training and/or certification;
- A Chatbot was created with basic information on PMGDISHA portal which was made available in both in Hindi and English languages;
- Training Centres were encouraged to join groups on popular social media platforms and share relevant training material through these groups;
- PMGDISHA content was uploaded on the DigiShala channel so that candidates could refer to these on their own and become ready for registration and assessment after minor training/revision.

(c)  and  (d):  The  National  Sample  Survey  Office  (NSSO)  conducted  the  'Comprehensive Annual Modular Survey' (CAMS) in its 79th round (July, 2022 to June, 2023). As per the survey, among the persons aged 15-24 years, around 78.4 percent reported execution of skill of  'sending  messages  (e.g.,  e-mail,  messaging  service,  SMS)  with  attached  files  (e.g., documents, pictures, video)'. Further, about 94.2 percent of rural households and about 97.1 percent of urban households possess telephone and/or mobile phone. From the said report, given the significant rise in smart-phone usage, internet penetration, and digital engagement in rural areas, the objectives of the scheme were successfully achieved and the scheme has since been concluded as on 31 st March 2024.

Further,  the  impact  analysis  of  the  PMGDISHA scheme was carried out by three agencies namely  IIT  Delhi,  Council  for  Social  Development  (CSD)  and  Indian  Institute  of  Public Administration (IIPA). The latest impact assessment study of the PMGDISHA scheme was conducted  by  IIPA.  The  gist  of  the  evaluation  report  is  that  the  PMGDISHA  is  a  unique scheme due to its large scale and the use of remotely proctored examinations. The training provided under PMGDISHA has had a significant impact on the adoption of Information & Communication  Technology  (ICT)  and  other  forms  of  digital  media.  It  has  benefited  its participants by enabling their access to a wide range of information and services for various purposes, helping to reduce the overall digital divide in the country. The key findings of the report are as follows:

- 18% fund used in Special Component Plan for Scheduled Castes (SCSP), 12% for Tribal Sub  Plan  (TSP)  and  11%  for  North-Eastern  Region  (NER)  have  made  sure  the empowerment of weaker sections.
- Women participation is very large and their inclusion at the rural level will open up the path for the learning of the whole family.
- More  than  55%  of  respondents  cited a direct benefit to their livelihoods after PMGDISHA training.
- Almost 50% respondents stated that PMGDISHA helped them get a better Job.

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