National Digital Literacy Mission

According to a study by the National Sample Survey Organization in 2014, it has been found that 94% of the population do not own a computer or it unaware of the latest technologies introduced around them. Out of 168 Million of the rural families, 120 million rural people are digitally illiterate. Over, 6,50,000 villages and 2.5 Lakh Panchayats and 40% of the Indian Population are still Below the Poverty Line (BPL). Therefore, to bridge this gap and to get all the Indian Citizens to become Digital Literate, the Indian Government initiated to launch a Mission named National Digital Literacy Mission. In this generation, Digital Literacy is very important for every individual and communities.

Why was NDLM launched/ initiated?

As per the report, it has been found that in the year 2011 there were only 30,00,000 Mobile users in rural India. Then later on 2012, there was a 50% rise in the users which grew upto 45, 000, 000. Still the Villages lacked of Internet Connectivity. Only 3.5 in 1000 Households has Internet Connectivity in Rural Indian Household. These startling figures shocked the Indian Government, and the Government initiated to launch a Mission which was called as the National Digital Literacy Mission. In this generation, Digital Literacy is very important for every individual and communities. By the year 2020, at least one individual in every rural India must be digital literate.

                National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM)

During the Budget Speech held on February 2016, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that “We need to derive a greater benefit from our demographic advantage. We need to spread digital literacy in Rural India. Therefore, we now plan to launch the Digital Literacy Mission Scheme for Rural India”.

Keeping this announcement in mind, the National Digital Literacy Mission was launched. This mission trained more than three million people across the country.

National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM)

The National Digital Literacy Mission Program is a dynamic and integrated platform to create digital awareness, education and capacity programs. The main objective of this program is to help the rural communities to understand the use of the Digital Technologies and its other useful aspects.

Objectives of National Digital Literacy Mission

The Main Objectives of National Digital Literacy Mission are-

• To empower the rural communities with capacity building and training programmes and make them digitally literate.

• To facilitate deployment of rural citizen services through Digital means

• To create a Digital Date House at every rural community level to make them economically viable.

• To generate social, cultural, and economical advantages for the rural communities for their benefits.

Role of BBNL in NDLM Scheme

In the mission of making 3.5 Million rural individuals digitally literate, the Universal Services Obligation Fund (USOF) has established BBNL (Bharath Broadband Network Limited) to come up with the National Optical Fiber Network Plan (NOFN). The Optical Fiber Network Cables has been connected to over 2.5 Lakh Gram Panchayat to make sure that every village has an access to the Digitization. The BBNL Optical Fibre Network Cable provides 1000 Mbps Internet Connectivity in all the villages. This Internet facility is effectively used by all the stakeholders to ensure that there is proper digital technology access.

The BBNL has three strategic pilot blocks – Pravada in Vishakhapatnam, Arain in Rajasthan, and Nangang in North Tripura where the Internet Connectivity is offered for free for a period of one month and later the costs will be adjusted depending on the cost of the project. To complement the vision of NOFL Plan, Intel Corporation and DEF (Digital Empowerment Foundation) made a partnership with NDLM. With this partnership they have also launched another program called “Follow the Fiber Programme” (FtF) to light up rural communities and help them to take a step towards Digital Literacy.

Stakeholders of NDLM

The National Digital Literacy Programme has the following stakeholders. Each Stakeholder has a different role to play. The working of each Stakeholders is mentioned below-

1. The Panchayat Committee

   The Panchayat Committee present at every rural place has an important role. The main aim of setting a Panchayat Constituencies is to make all the individuals digitally literate and lead to the enrichment of the Social Inclusion, Employment, Governance, Educational Approach, and empowerment. Therefore, the Panchayat Committee has a very important role to play in cooperating with other stakeholders.

2. Intel Corporation

   The Intel Corporation is one of the most important Stakeholder in NDLM Project. Their aim is to educate at least one person per household about digital literacy.

3. BBNL

   BBNL is also called as Bharat Broadband Network Limited. This was established in 2012 as Public Sector Undertaking. In 2011, the Indian Government has approved the National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) to bring together all 2.5 Lakh Gram Panchayat. For executing this strategy corporation such as RailTEL, PGCIL, BSNL have been assigned. These corporations have been working together with BBNL for the NDLM Project.

4. DEF

   Also known as Digital Empowerment Foundation. This was established to uplift the economic level and create a commercial viability using the Internet and Communication Technology.

Areas that are Covered under NDLM

The following are the areas that are covered under NDLM:

1. Naogang, Panisagar, North Tripura

   The NOFN Line is extended to Panisagar, which is the subdivision and a block of North Tripura. About 70% of the Panchayat Area is covered with NOFN Lines. This region has a literacy rate of 70%, and currently they are introducing digital literacy in Naugang which means better facilities for agriculture and enhanced social inclusion.

2. Arain, Ajmer Rajasthan

   This is the first village to have NOFN Line installed. The town is well equipped with facilities such as Hospitals, Banks, Police Station etc. but has no proper Internet facilities. In 2012, Intel Corporation and DEF incorporated to establish a NDLM Center in Arian Panchayat at Ajmer. In three months, over 250 individuals are trained on Digital Literacy.

3. Muthyalammapalem, Vizag Andhra Pradesh

   This is one of the poorest villages in Andhra Pradesh with a population size of 1840 and 454 fishermen families. Out of 454 families, 453 village families are below poverty line. Therefore to improve the Internet facilities the region has been included under NDLM.

Components of NDLM

The National Digital Literacy Mission incorporate the following components-

• The NDLM Centers must be full-fledged knowledge centres.

• Contributes towards supplementary education

• Must bring Social and Economic impact at rural areas.

• Through the National Digital Literacy Skills Program, the NDLM helps the youth to think critically.

• The scheme also contributes towards the Women Empowerment.

• The Project offers necessary tools of Information Security and Digital Literacy.

Some of sub-projects that are under the NDLM Program are as follows-

• Wireless for Communities programmes

• Skill Development Program for the Employment

• e- NGO Programme

• Community Information Resource Center

• Tele Health Services

• Digital Panchayat Programme

• Web Based Sanitation and Drinking Water System

• Rural BPOs

• Women Literacy Mission Programme

• Digital Panchayat Programme

Training Provided under NDLM

There are two levels of training under the NDLM Scheme-

• Level 1 – Appreciation of Digital Literacy: The main motive of this training program is to make an Individual IT Literate and to access different digital gadgets such as Tablets and Mobile Phones. After the completion of the module, an individual will know how to send and receive mails and access Internet to search necessary information. The duration of the course is 20 Hours with a minimum of 10 days and maximum of 30 days.

• Level 2 – Digital Literacy: This module aims to Advance Level of Digital Literacy to an individual. Individuals will be trained to access different e-Governance services effectively. The duration of this course is 40 Hours with a minimum of 20 days and a maximum of 60 days.

Eligibility and Documents Required for NDLM

The Eligibility criteria for the candidates is on the basis of the Level Courses/ Training.

• For Level 1 Examination, an individual must be non-IT Literate/ Illiterate and must have passed 7^th Standard.

• For Level 2 Examination, candidate must be a Non- IT Literate and must be atleast 8^th standard pass.

Documents Required

Following are the documents required to enroll in Level and Level 2 modules for NDLM

For Aganwadi Workers, Ration dealers, and ASHA Workers

• Official ID (Mandatory)

• Aadhaar card at the time of Registration

For General Candidates

• BPL Card for Below Poverty Line Families

• Caste Certificate (Reserved Candidates)

• Aadhaar Card at the time of Registration.

Eligibility for becoming a Training Partner

• Must be an Organization that has been registered in India and must have been operating under IT Domain and Education for over 3 years.

• Must have a Permanent Income Tax Account Number (PAN) and must have audited statements of minimum 3 years.

• Must have clearly documented processes and procedures which covers the whole IT Literacy Training and Education.

• Must have been registered under any act of Law in India.

NDLM in Cities

The National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM) is a Pan- India Project, as per the Indian Government guidelines. The state is divided into three categories – A, B, and C depending on the population.

• Category A- Under this category, 3, 10, 000 students have to be covered. The states that come under this category are: Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana), Gujarat, and Karnataka.

• Category B- Under this category, 1,10, 000 students have to be covered. The States that come under this category Odisha, Kerala, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, NCT of Delhi, Punjab, and Chhattisgarh.

• Category C- Around 36, 666 are expected to be covered under this category. States that come under this category are Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Manipur, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, and Dadar and Haveli.

Role of CSC SPV in New Delhi

The CSC SPV is a Program Management Unit that aims for monitoring and implementing NDLM. The Program offers support to different state agencies, DietY in tasks like developing curriculum, developing mechanism for monitoring and registration, program design, conducting workshops, managing events, etc. The objectives of CSC SPV are as follows-

• Coordinating with all stakeholders at the state and district level.

• Development of courses and curriculum framework

• Installing Online Monitoring System for Registration, Monitoring, and Training of Beneficiaries.

• Conducting Workshops, Seminars, and other awareness campaigns for the stakeholders regarding NDLM.

• Developing Examination and Certification Norms in consultation with IGNOU, NIELIT, and other related industries.

• Making sure that all the programs are completed at an allotted time duration and within budget.