The Government of India (GoI) launched the Digital India initiative to enhance technical literacy and ensure internet access to all. The National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM) is a campaign under Digital India to empower the country’s poor, rural, and women population and encourage them to create a better life for themselves.

The National Digital Literacy Mission NDLM, also known as the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMG DISHA), is the Indian government’s flagship program to promote digital literacy. It aims to make individuals Information Technology (IT) literate and empower society by equipping one member of every family with digital literacy skills by 2020. The scheme endeavours to enable citizens to better their lives by leveraging technology.

Digital literacy meaning goes beyond basic computer use and focuses on enabling citizens to access, understand, and apply technology effectively in daily life.

NDLM full form is National Digital Literacy Mission, which reflects its goal of empowering citizens through essential digital training programs.

NDLM acknowledges the importance of appreciation of digital literacy in today’s technologically advanced world. It provides vital digital literacy skills to individuals, especially those from underserved and marginalised communities. The scheme envisions increasing the participation of Anganwadi and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, ration shop dealers, and villagers in democratic processes.

National Digital Literacy Mission certificate download services are available online for candidates who have successfully completed training under the NDLM certificate program.

NDLM is formulated to provide IT training to 52.5 lakh people to make them IT literate and improve their livelihood opportunities. It aligns with the government’s Digital India initiative to make over 250 million citizens literate.

NDLM’s essential features include:

• A focus on building a better socio-economic ecosystem, particularly in rural areas.
• A comprehensive knowledge centre for imparting digital literacy and supplementary education.
• A curriculum designed to develop technical literacy skills and boost critical thinking among the youth.
• A particular segment for teaching advanced technical skills to women.
• Appreciation of digital literacy and security tools training.
• Support for sub-projects aimed at skill development, training, and employment of rural women.

There are many benefits of the NDLM for individuals and society, as highlighted below:

• Improved communication and collaboration: As more people become capable of using digital communication tools, communication and collaboration improve within communities.
• Empowerment of citizens: NDLM makes citizens digitally literate. These citizens can access different services, such as health information, educational resources, and government schemes.
• Boosted employability: The demand for digital skills has improved in today’s job market. The National Digital Literacy Mission teaches individuals the essential skills to secure better employment opportunities.
• Enhanced financial inclusion: When digital literacy increases among citizens, they can participate in the digital economy, make online transactions, and access online banking facilities.
• Better governance: The initiative improves governance by empowering citizens to engage with government services and processes digitally.
• Bridges the digital gap: Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan reduces the gap between rural and urban areas by increasing access to the internet and digital technologies in rural areas.

National Digital Literacy Mission certificate programs ensure that participants receive formal recognition for their learning, improving their employment prospects.

The eligibility criteria for NDLM registration are as follows:

• The candidate must be an Indian citizen.
• The applicant’s age must be between 14 and 60 years.
• No family member should have access to IT education.

Level 1 examination criteria:

• Must be illiterate or non-IT literate.
• Must have passed up to 7th grade.

Level 2 examination criteria:

• Must have cleared at least 8th grade.
• Must be a non-IT literate.

NDLM certificate can be downloaded online after completing the required training and passing the relevant assessment.

Here are the documents necessary for the NDLM scheme:

• Caste certificate (if applying through the reserved quota)
• Government-issued identity card (for ASHA and Anganwadi workers and ration shop dealers)
• Below Poverty Line (BPL) card issued to the family (for general candidates)
• Aadhaar Card

The Indian government envisions collaborating with various stakeholders through NDLM and empowering Panchayat constituencies digitally. The project focuses on digital literacy and women’s empowerment to tackle vital issues related to empowerment, social governance, education and employment opportunities, and social inclusion.

The initiative aims to develop a strong foundation for appreciation of digital literacy in the country, enabling it to secure a digital advantage globally. Its objectives include:

• Improving the lives of rural citizens by helping them use digital tools
• Aiding economic growth in rural areas by setting up digital data centres
• Allowing rural areas access to information that boosts social, cultural, and economic well-being
• Training rural communities to achieve digital literacy

The NDLM scheme covers several areas, benefiting specific professions. Below are some examples:

The stakeholders of National Digital Literacy Mission to achieve the mission are:

• Bharat Broadband Network Limited – Executes the National Optical Fibre Network campaign to provide internet access throughout rural Panchayat areas by laying optical fibre.
• Collaboration between Digital Empowerment Foundation and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) – These stakeholders make the use of information and communication technology commercially viable.
• Intel Corporation – Works on providing education aimed at enhancing technical literacy.

Here are the two levels of training provided under the NDLM scheme:

Level 1 Training – Appreciation of Digital Literacy

A candidate who completes this level becomes IT literate by learning the essential technical skills to use devices like computers, mobile phones, and tablets. The candidate also learns how to send and receive emails and use the internet to search for crucial information. The course duration is 20 hours and must be completed within 10 to 30 days.

Level 2 Training – Basics of Digital Literacy

This level trains individuals in an advanced digital literacy course comprising the use of e-governance services and the services of other agencies. The course duration is 40 hours, and it must be completed within 20 to 60 days from the start date.