National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM) is a campaign that aims to digitally educate at least one member of every family in rural areas. From 2014 to 2016, two Schemes titled ‘National Digital Literacy Mission’ (NDLM) and ‘Digital Saksharta Abhiyan’ (DISHA) were implemented by the Government of India with a target to train 52.50 lakh candidates in digital literacy across the country.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology launched the ‘Digital India’ programme in 2015 with the vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge-based economy by ensuring digital access, digital inclusion, digital empowerment and bridging the digital divide. To achieve these objectives, particularly in rural, tribal and remote areas, the Ministry of Education offers high quality educational programmes through DTH channels as well as web platforms under the aegis of PM e-Vidya.
In 2017, a scheme titled ‘Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA)’ was approved by Union Cabinet to usher in digital literacy in rural India by covering 6 crore rural households (one person per household).
Despite all these, digital literacy is still inadequate among the rural and underprivileged sections in India, the ratio of girls, women and elderly people being even sadder. The digital education gap in urban and rural areas is far from being bridged. However, MNCs operating in India as well as Indian corporates are working to bridge this gap across the country through various CSR initiatives. The CSR Journal takes a look at the top CSR activities boosting digital literacy among the underprivileged in India.
CSR of ASUS for Digital Literacy
Taiwanese technology brand ASUS in collaboration with VIDYA has announced the commencement of its Digital Literacy Programme for children and youth in the marginalized regions of Western India. Designed to focus on digital literacy and skilling initiatives, the programme will equip over 6000 students from Grade 1 to 10 as well as youth with essential skills and digital expertise through interactive and project-based learning via an age-appropriate curriculum which is mapped to UN’s Digital Literacy Framework. The first leg of the partnership will commence in Mumbai, followed by Goa and Gujarat.
The ASUS India and VIDYA partnership is aimed to directly benefit 5,480 children and 650 youth from low-income households—many of them first-generation learners—through the setup of digital labs in select schools.
Using a weekly curriculum aligned with the UNESCO Digital Literacy Framework, students will be introduced to computer basics, digital storytelling, poster design, programming (Scratch, Python), and digital ethics, with a strong focus on creativity, collaboration, and self-directed learning.
CSR of Cairn Oil & Gas for Digital Education
Vedanta Group’s oil and gas exploration and production company Cairn Oil & Gas has been running the e-kaksha initiative since 2020 to provide digital education to students in Rajasthan, with access to digital resources and library. The company aimed to reach 9 million students by 2030 but has already surpassed the target touching over 23 million students since the inception of its programme, they claimed in a statement.
To promote digital literacy, Cairn Oil & Gas has installed a digital classroom in Sarupathar College in the Golaghat district of Assam. The classroom is serving the 4,000 enrolled students, offering them digital exposure and an opportunity to experience modern technology for the first time. The digital classroom has evolved into a comprehensive skill development centre, paving the way towards a brighter future for the students.
CSR Initiative equips 700+ youths with AI skills
Capgemini in collaboration with the Nasscom Foundation recently announced that they have successfully skilled and certified more than 700 disadvantaged youths through their AI for Skilling programme. Capgemini and the Nasscom Foundation partnership plays a key role in helping to meet this demand by equipping the youth with advanced skills in generative AI, robotics, fintech, and more.
Implemented in Delhi NCR and Bengaluru, the programme is designed to provide comprehensive 200-hour training, comprising over 140 hours of technical training and more than 60 hours of soft skills development. The initiative builds on Capgemini Digital Academy programme, which trains thousands of youths across India in high-demand digital skills, creating opportunities for careers in technology.
Digital Skills Drive to Train Andhra Pradesh Students for Tech Careers
Oracle and Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) have announced a collaboration to provide skills development training to 400,000 students across the state to enhance their employability and help advance their careers.
Through this collaboration, 400,000 students at different stages of their learning and professional goals will gain access to digital training material and foundational certifications to prepare them for jobs of the future. This includes access to over 300 hours of learning programs on several technologies such as Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), Oracle AI services, OCI Generative AI, OCI Data Science, Oracle APEX, OCI DevOps, and Oracle Security, along with complete structured learning paths.
Digital Empowerment Program for the underserved in Faridabad, Haryana
NIIT Foundation, together with Ciena, a networking systems, services, and software company, has launched an initiative called the “Digital Empowerment Program through the Digital Transformation Vehicle (DTV)” initiative in Faridabad, Haryana. This mobile education and training program aims to provide digital literacy and skills to underserved and remote communities, with the goal of narrowing the digital divide.
The initiative features a mobile training facility equipped with 16 computers, internet connectivity, and comprehensive training materials. Certified trainers, including an IT trainer and a mobilizer, who encourages individuals to enrol in the program, travel with the vehicle to provide hands-on support. The program offers customizable courses tailored to community needs, covering digital literacy, financial literacy, and vocational skills.
The initiative has successfully installed 12 Hole in the Wall Learning Stations across various locations from August 2023 to March 2024, promoting digital literacy and self-directed learning, as per an announcement made by the foundation.
L&T Finance Ltd’s Digital Sakhi programme
Leading Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) L&T Finance Ltd. is empowering communities through its ‘Digital Sakhi’ CSR programme. The aim of the programme is to create awareness on Digital and Financial Literacy amongst the rural population.
As per a recent announcement by L&T Finance Ltd., the Corporate Social Responsibility initiative has empowered over 42 lakh community members so far. The programme which was initiated in 2017 has expanded its geographical footprint in 7 states namely, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala with a cadre of 1,370 trained Digital Sakhis over the years.
In FY 2023-24, under the programme, LTF has empanelled 400 Sakhis in Uttar Pradesh (Gorakhpur), Bihar (Supaul), Tamil Nadu (Madurai), and West Bengal (Murshidabad). In FY24, Digital Sakhis have helped empower over 11 lakh rural communities by promoting digital financial inclusion, providing impetus to 2,400 women entrepreneurs, as per a statement by the company. They further claim that across existing and new programme locations of Digital Sakhis, there has been a 12 percent increase in the adoption of digital payments among the community members, promoting a cashless economy and enhancing financial inclusion.
Mankind Pharma’s ‘Digital Smart Class’ initiative
Leading pharmaceutical company Mankind Pharma is working to enhance the quality of education in remote areas through its ‘Digital Smart Class’ initiative. Under their CSR arm, this comprehensive programme has established 220 smart classrooms across government schools in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.
The Digital Smart Class initiative is a strategic effort to bridge the digital divide in education and provide underprivileged students with access to modern learning resources. The smart classrooms are equipped with integrated teaching devices, the Kyan system, which can convert any surface to an interactive board and multimedia playing surface, enabling a more engaging and immersive learning experience.
The initiative spans across 170 schools in 23 clusters, benefiting thousands of students in remote areas. Mankind Pharma has collaborated closely with local authorities and educational institutions to ensure the successful implementation and sustainability of the smart classrooms.
Key highlights of the Digital Smart Class initiative:
– Establishment of 220 smart classrooms across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.
– Provision of integrated teaching devices and multimedia content for interactive learning.
– Comprehensive teacher training programmes to ensure effective utilisation of the smart classroom technology.
– Three-year project management and maintenance support to ensure sustainability.
CSR of Coal India for digital literacy in Jharkhand
In an announcement made earlier this month, world’s single largest coal producer Coal India Limited is taking its commitment towards quality education a step further by commissioning smart classrooms in 70 Government schools. This is in continuation of a similar initiative launched for 11 districts of Jharkhand in January this year.
The project worth Rs. 2.42 crore will be executed by EdCIL (India) Limited, a PSU. The initiative is expected to improve the learning outcomes among students as well as reduce the digital divide that exists between students of government and private schools.
BridgeIT programme – CSR of TCS
BridgeIT is a unique initiative created to bridge the digital divide that places socially and economically underprivileged communities at a disadvantage. The programme creates digital entrepreneurs who use IT to help local citizens avail essential digital services in education, adult literacy, unemployment and social discrimination. It attempts to address prevailing social inequities in India by proactively reaching out to women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) communities.
Launched in 2014, BridgeIT has a footprint across 30 districts in 10 states. The programme offers budding entrepreneurs the skills, mentoring, technology, tools and resources required to set up a Digital Service Centre from where they can provide services such as generating and updating documents (such as Aadhar cards, Pan cards, and voters ID), enrolling for different government schemes, filling in online forms and cash withdrawals/deposits from the bank to fellow villagers.
In FY 2023, the programme had 347 active digital entrepreneurs with 146 of these being women.
VAHDAM’s Digital Learning Centre in Darjeeling
VAHDAM India inaugurated 3 digital learning centres in Darjeeling in June 2023 under its flagship CSR initiative, TEACH Me where the company directs a minimum of 1% of its revenue towards the education of its children across the country.
VAHDAM India partnered with BYJUs amid COVID in October 2020 to provide top-quality digital learning to children in remote tea gardens absolutely free of cost owing to the lockdown and schools remaining shut. This ensured that children could access and continue with digital learning at par with the best in the country.
The first digital learning center was inaugurated at Miriam School, Darjeeling. The second learning centre was inaugurated at the Badamtam High School where BYJU smart TVs and android boxes were installed to support the digital infrastructure and learning. The third learning centre was inaugurated at the Risheehat High School.
CSR of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages for financial and digital literacy of women
On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2024, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages announced the successful completion of its multi-state women’s empowerment initiative to provide financial and digital literacy training to 25,000 women. This monumental achievement marks a significant leap forward in narrowing the gender divide in financial inclusion and digital adoption, resonating with HCCB’s pledge for women’s empowerment announced in August of last year.
The initiative was conducted in partnership with the Y4D foundation. Spanning across the diverse landscape of 12 Indian states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, and Odisha, the program adopted a dynamic classroom-based methodology. It was designed to cater to the varied needs, interests, and proficiency levels of women from different backgrounds, enabling them to harness the power of finance and technology.
The curriculum was designed to cover a broad spectrum of vital skills crucial for thriving in the new economy. From the fundamentals of banking and account setup to navigating the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), from savvy investment strategies to leveraging online banking, the program also spotlighted government initiatives aimed at supporting women such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Sukanya Sam Riddhi Yojana, and Nari Shakti. The digital literacy component was equally comprehensive, encompassing Mobile Banking, Digital Market Linkage, and Cyber Security. Thus, paving the way for participants to secure a robust livelihood and contribute significantly to household economics.