Lok Sabha Question No. 845 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Promotion of Digital Literacy among SC/ST/OBCs through PMGDISHA
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Thiru D M Kathir Anand

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 845

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 04.02.2026

## PROMOTION OF DIGITAL LITERACY AMONG SC/ST/OBCS THROUGH PMGDISHA

## 845. THIRU D M KATHIR ANAND:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Union  Government  has  taken  to  promote  digital  literacy  among  Scheduled  Castes (SCs)/Scheduled  Tribes  (STs)/Other  Backward  Classes  (OBCs)  communities  through  the  Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) and if so, the details thereof, State-wise; (b) the number of Common Service Centres (CSCs) established in SC/ST dominated areas and the most backward Districts under the Digital India Programme;
- (c) the number of SC/ST/OBC youth trained as Village Level Entrepreneurs and the percentage of women Village Level Entrepreneurs managing the CSCs; and
- (d) the various proactive measures adopted by the Government to address the digital divide in remote rural and the most backward areas?

## ANSWER

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

(a): The Digital India programme was launched by the Government of India in line with Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision to democratize technology, bridge the digital divide and empower citizens. Under the programme, Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) was launched in 2017 to ensure digital literacy. The scheme concluded on 31 st March 2024.

Key aspects of the scheme were:

- The Scheme was one of the world's largest digital literacy initiatives.
- Over 6.39 Crore persons trained nationwide (against the target of 6 Crore).
- This scheme focused on empowering the marginalized sections of the society viz. Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
- The States/Union Territories (UTs)-wise status of the SC, ST, and OBCs under the scheme is given at Annexure-I.
- (b): As on date, around 5.87 lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) are active across the country, out of which nearly 2.98 lakh CSCs are established in SC & ST dominated areas including most backward districts.

(c):  Time  to  time  physical  and  virtual  training  programmes  are  conducted  for  Village  Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) to enhance capacity and service delivery capabilities. At present, 75,593 women VLEs are managing CSCs across the country.

(d): Various measures adopted by the Government to address the digital divide in remote rural and the most backward areas include:

## i. National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) :

- NIELIT provides digital literacy courses such as Awareness in Computer Concept (ACC), Course on Computer Concepts (CCC) etc.
- NIELIT has trained 43 lakh+ candidates under various courses, including digital literacy and cyber security awareness.
- Training is delivered through a wide network of 56 NIELIT Centres and 9000+ Accredited Training Partners/Facilitation Centres.

•

## ii. NIELIT Digital University (NDU) Platform:

- NIELIT Digital University (NDU) Platform has been launched by NIELIT.
- The platform delivers online and blended skill-based industry-aligned courses in emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity etc.
- The platform includes built-in virtual labs for hands-on learning in Semiconductor Design, Cybersecurity, Cyber Forensics etc.
- Learners get anytime-anywhere access to National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF)aligned courses.
- iii. In addition, citizens across the country have also been enabled to access e-services under various initiatives, such as Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG), My scheme, Digi-Locker, e-Hospital and MyGov, etc.

******

## States/UT's

Annexure- I -wise SC/ST/OBC candidates under the PMGDISHA Scheme

986

791517

4050

443416

3514243

976727

2853

24526

1097551

498170

164189

137841

1049962

764775

59691

1548

1

2264034

1730679

5234

1611

5074

562

876457

6739

298850

1766597

8880

462118

568820

57641

7467255

268050

| Sl. No.   | State Name                         | Scheduled Castes (SCs)   | Scheduled Castes (SCs)   | Scheduled Tribes (STs)               | Scheduled Tribes (STs)   | Other Backward Classes (OBCs)   | Other Backward Classes (OBCs)   |
|-----------|------------------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| Sl. No.   | State Name                         |                          |                          | Regist-eredTrainedRegist-eredTrained |                          | Regist-ered                     |                                 |
| 1         | Andaman and Nicobar Islands        |                          | 7                        | 4 67                                 | 13                       | 1820                            |                                 |
| 2         | Andhra Pradesh                     | 376544                   | 309130                   | 77046                                | 60599                    | 943217                          |                                 |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh                  | 674                      | 585                      | 2745                                 | 1155                     | 4504                            |                                 |
| 4         | Assam                              | 218302                   | 191482                   | 271411                               | 228534                   | 530743                          |                                 |
| 5         | Bihar                              | 1771584                  | 1618054                  | 350706                               | 319378                   | 3937338                         |                                 |
| 6         | Chhattisgarh                       | 327966                   | 283506                   | 749997                               | 641970                   | 1133348                         |                                 |
| 7         | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu | 1338                     | 1212                     | 3641                                 | 2645                     | 3402                            |                                 |
| 8         | Goa                                | 12104                    | 11433                    | 4531                                 | 4260                     | 26502                           |                                 |
| 9         | Gujarat                            | 203446                   | 178689                   | 511541                               | 448410                   | 1239069                         |                                 |
| 10        | Haryana                            | 488438                   | 415147                   | 7359                                 | 6686                     | 589919                          |                                 |
| 11        | Himachal Pradesh                   | 137912                   | 107752                   | 29140                                | 23211                    | 188151                          |                                 |
| 12        | Jammu And Kashmir                  | 110792                   | 97116                    | 42493                                | 32495                    | 154936                          |                                 |
| 13        | Jharkhand                          | 326877                   | 274891                   | 550371                               | 445964                   | 1258141                         |                                 |
| 14        | Karnataka                          | 393103                   | 316845                   | 205798                               | 165996                   | 930833                          |                                 |
| 15        | Kerala                             | 21607                    | 14835                    | 3373                                 | 2141                     | 89757                           |                                 |
| 16        | Ladakh                             | 2101                     | 1806                     | 2117                                 | 1257                     | 2225                            |                                 |
| 17        | Lakshadweep                        |                          | 0                        | 0 126                                | 30                       | 4                               |                                 |
| 18        | Madhya Pradesh                     | 1010108                  | 902186                   | 1006949                              | 896544                   | 2545856                         |                                 |
| 19        | Maharashtra                        | 671086                   | 577613                   | 661127                               | 583480                   | 1984467                         |                                 |
| 20        | Manipur                            | 1122                     | 655                      | 8936                                 | 6407                     | 7842                            |                                 |
| 21        | Meghalaya                          | 1959                     | 1578                     | 108527                               | 70987                    | 1998                            |                                 |
| 22        | Mizoram                            | 1825                     | 1628                     | 17779                                | 13070                    | 5771                            |                                 |
| 23        | Nagaland                           | 342                      | 180                      | 6824                                 | 4830                     | 691                             |                                 |
| 24        | Odisha                             | 585879                   | 499735                   | 662786                               | 553919                   | 1031492                         |                                 |
| 25        | Puducherry                         | 4246                     | 2821                     | 111                                  | 99                       | 9665                            |                                 |
| 26        | Punjab                             | 741719                   | 650287                   | 8152                                 | 7192                     | 340109                          |                                 |
| 27        | Rajasthan                          | 853118                   | 741997                   | 671851                               | 610585                   | 2013329                         |                                 |
| 28        | Sikkim                             | 5479                     | 4855                     | 1470                                 | 1166                     | 10474                           |                                 |
| 29        | Tamil Nadu                         | 258579                   | 202678                   | 9815                                 | 6832                     | 566697                          |                                 |
| 30        | Telangana                          | 252959                   | 207958                   | 185836                               | 157354                   | 680524                          |                                 |
| 31        | Tripura                            | 66907                    | 55764                    | 82301                                | 65174                    | 70819                           |                                 |
| 32        | Uttar Pradesh                      | 3932033                  | 3524104                  | 145697                               | 128563                   | 8376570                         |                                 |
| 33        | Uttarakhand                        | 164142                   | 141172                   | 21111                                | 18045                    | 301410                          |                                 |

263746

2,55,84,393

| 34   | West Bengal   | 501392      | 415468               | 135650   | 114174   | 315129               |
|------|---------------|-------------|----------------------|----------|----------|----------------------|
|      | Grand Total   | 1,34,45,690 | 1,17,53,16665,47,384 |          |          | 56,23,1652,92,96,752 |

*Chandigarh and Delhi are in urban agglomeration, hence not covered under the scheme.

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