Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA)

The Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) benefits about six crore households, making them digitally literate. With PMGDISHA, most rural households would benefit and enhance their livelihood. This scheme helps the Digitally illiterate people to actively learn IT skills, which will help them participate in the democratic and developmental process. This initiative is part of the Digital India programme which aims to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.

Eligibility

The scheme applies only to the rural areas of the country. The eligibility for a household is that none of the members of the household is digital literates. The household comprises the head of the family, spouse, children and parents.

Entry criteria

The eligible age group for the scheme would be from 14 years to 60 years old people. The beneficiary under this scheme should be digitally illiterate. Only one person from a household would be considered for training under the scheme. Priority would be given to college dropouts, non-smartphone users, antyodaya households and the participants of the adult literacy mission. School students from classes 9^th to 12^th who are digitally illiterate, are provided with the facility, but IT training is not available in the schools. Preferences would be given to SC/ST, BPL, women, differently able people, and other minorities. The scheme portal would make available the identification of beneficiaries that shall be carried out by Common Service Centres CSC- SPV through collaborations with e-Governance Society in each district, block development officers, and gram panchayats.

Implementing Agencies

The scheme will be under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Electronics and IT with designated agencies in the States and Union Territories, which includes the State Implementing Agency, District e-Governance Society (DeGS) etc.

Financial Assistance

On successful certification of candidates trained by the training partner, a training fee of Rs.300 per candidate is payable directly to the training partner through CSC. Based on the outcomes achieved, the training partners will be receiving the payment. Input from the DeGS is necessary for the same. This can include making digital payments, opening a digital locker, sending e-mail, booking tickets etc. The registered certifying agency will be paid Rs.70 per candidate as certification cost/examination fee for the assessment and certifications. For monitoring of the scheme and meeting the overhead cost, the states and union territories will receive an average of Rs.2 per candidate.

Training Process

• The training period is a minimum of 10 days and a maximum of 30 days during which the course has to be completed. The duration of the training is 20 hours, that has to be completed within the training period.
• Outcomes of the Training
  • Effective communication through technology.
  • The basics of digital devices, including the terminology, navigation and functionality, will be understood.
  • The digital devices are used effectively to create, manage, access, and store information.
  • Effective usage of the Internet to browse in a responsible manner.
  • Learning the usage and carrying out cashless transactions.
  • Usage of digital locker uses online citizen-centric services.
  • Using digital technology in everyday life, at work and in social life and appreciating its role.

Training Partners

The Scheme anticipates affiliations with organizations like NGOs/Corporates who desire to provide digital literacy training as Training partners, which is subject to meeting prescribed norms. The norms are as follows:

• The training partner who desires to provide digital literacy training must be in a registered Indian institution in the field of education/IT literacy for at least more than 3 years.
• The training partner must have a Permanent Income Tax account number (PAN), audited statements of accounts for at least past three years.
• Registration under any act of law in India is a must for the institution/organization.
• Well-Documented processes and procedures covering the course of education and IT literacy training must be defined clearly by the training partner.

Role of a Training Partner

• The beneficiaries would be trained by the training partners who will be responsible for having or appointing training centers in the identified blocks, districts and gram panchayats.
• All training centers must uphold the PMGDISHA requirements, and the training partner will be responsible for the same.
• The overall working of the training center and the monitoring of the same will be the responsibility of the training partner. Every center under the purview of the training partner will be accountable

The work mentioned above, accurate and timely reporting of the assigned centers will be the responsibility of the Training Partner.

Outcomes of PMGDISHA

Digital literacy is a set of competencies an individual or a community possess involving the effective use of digital knowledge in daily life situations which will also improve their livelihood. A person trained under this program would be able to operate computers, send/receive emails, undertake cashless transactions, search for information, access Government Services etc. and hence use the ability in the process of nation-building and contributing to the nation’s economic growth.