Kerala became India’s first fully digitally literate state, training 21.87 lakh people via Digi Kerala. Leveraging Akshaya, PMGDisha, and BharatNet, it empowers 3.5 crore citizens for e-governance and UPI. Challenges like rural connectivity and cybercrime hinder nationwide scaling, requiring multilingual, community-driven models.
Copyright infringement not intended
Picture Courtesy: THE HINDU
Kerala became India’s first fully digitally literate state through its 'Digi Kerala' initiative, training over 21 lakh citizens in digital skills, marking a historic step in bridging the digital divide.
It is the ability to use digital technology confidently, safely, and effectively to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information.
It integrates various cognitive and technical skills. UNESCO’s 2018 framework identifies several competence areas:
Historical Foundation: Kerala’s high literacy rate (94% as of 2021, Census of India) and robust education system provided a strong base for digital literacy programs.
Digital India Mission (2015): Aimed to create digital infrastructure, deliver services digitally, and promote digital literacy.
Kerala’s Digital Literacy Campaign: Launched in 2022, trained 2,57,000 volunteers to deliver courses on smartphone skills, app usage (e.g., WhatsApp, UPI), and accessing government services. Nearly 99.98% of learners completed the program, reflecting its success.
BharatNet and Connectivity: BharatNet connected gram panchayats to high-speed internet, enabling digital training.
State Initiatives: "Digital Kerala” vision, supported by programs like Akshaya Centres (community e-service hubs), ensured inclusive training across rural and urban areas.
Universal Digital Access: 100% of Kerala’s population (about 3.5 crore as of 2025) use digital tools for basic tasks, including online payments and e-governance services.
E-Governance Integration: Citizens access services like DigiLocker, UMANG, and e-health platforms, with 99% of government services available online.
Financial Inclusion: Over 90% of Kerala’s households use UPI, driven by digital literacy.
Cybersecurity Awareness: Training modules emphasized safe digital practices, reducing cyber fraud incidents.
Model for Other States: Kerala’s community-based approach, with 2,57,000 volunteers, serves as a blueprint for scaling digital literacy nationwide.
Economic Growth: India’s digital economy is expected to create 60-65 million jobs by 2025. Kerala’s digital literacy ensures its workforce is ready for roles in IT, e-commerce, and AI.
Social Empowerment: Digital literacy enables marginalized groups (women, rural communities) to access education, healthcare, and financial services.
Global Competitiveness: India’s rise to 49th in the Network Readiness Index (NRI) 2024 reflects its digital progress, with Kerala leading the charge.
Financial inclusion: A digitally literate population can use digital payment systems like UPI, access banking apps, and manage finances securely, bringing more people into the formal financial system.
E-governance and public service delivery: Citizens can access government services online, apply for schemes, and pay bills without intermediaries, enhancing transparency and efficiency.
Empowerment of rural populations: Digital knowledge helps rural citizens, including farmers, leverage digital platforms for market access (e.g., e-NAM), information on modern farming techniques, and online services.
Skill development and employability: As 90% of jobs could require digital skills by 2030, a digitally literate workforce is essential for India’s economic competitiveness. It opens up opportunities in the gig economy and allows SMEs to expand their market reach.
Education: In a post-pandemic world, digital platforms like SWAYAM have become crucial for accessible learning. Digital literacy is necessary for students and educators to participate effectively in online learning.
Digital INDIA |
Digital Divide: Despite 1,002.85 million internet subscribers in India (TRAI), rural penetration remains at 59.43% compared to 133.56% in urban areas.
Infrastructure Gaps: BharatNet’s completion, delayed to 2025, faces issues like poor cable maintenance and unreliable connectivity in some states.
Digital Exclusion: Linguistic diversity (22 official languages) and low literacy in states like Bihar (70.9%, Census 2021) hinder digital training.
Cybersecurity Risks: Rising cybercrimes (1.2 lakh cases in 2024, NCRB) demand robust awareness programs beyond Kerala’s model.
Funding Constraints: The Digital India budget of Rs. 14,903 crore (2021–26) may fall short for nationwide scaling, requiring private partnerships.
Uneven Progress Across States: Kerala’s high literacy and infrastructure contrast with states like Uttar Pradesh, where digital literacy is below 40% .
Dependence on Private Players: Partnerships with tech giants (Google) risk data privacy concerns, as seen in debates over Aadhaar data security.
Global Competition: China’s 98% digital literacy rate (ITU, 2024) sets a high benchmark, challenging India to accelerate efforts.
Policy Misalignment: Inconsistent state policies and bureaucratic delays (e.g., BharatNet’s slow rollout) undermine national goals.
Replicate Kerala’s Model: States must adopt community-driven training with local volunteers, as Kerala’s Volunteers demonstrated.
Strengthen BharatNet: Ensure timely completion by 2025 with robust maintenance (e.g., regular cable audits, as recommended by CAG, 2021).
Multilingual Training: Develop digital literacy modules in regional languages, leveraging platforms like DataMail.
Private-Public Partnerships: Expand collaborations like MeitY-Google’s “Build for Digital India” to fund and scale training.
Focus on Cybersecurity: Integrate mandatory cybersecurity modules, drawing from Kerala’s 15% fraud reduction success.
Global Learning: Rwanda’s “Smart Rwanda” initiative, which achieved 80% digital literacy by 2023, offers a comparable model.
Source: THE HINDU
|
PRACTICE QUESTION Q. The Digital India initiative is transforming governance and empowering citizens. 150 words |
Ability to use digital tools like smartphones and the internet for communication, e-governance, and transactions.
Kerala is the first state in India to be declared fully digitally literate.
Community-driven, smartphone-focused training for all ages, including centenarians, unlike PMGDisha’s computer-centric, age-limited approach.
© 2025 iasgyan. All right reserved
