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National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM)
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.
Why was the National Digital Literacy Mission initiated?
The National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM), also known as the Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (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 skills by 2020. The scheme endeavours to enable citizens to better their lives by leveraging technology.
NDLM acknowledges the importance of digital skills in today’s technologically advanced world. It provides vital digital 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.
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.
Features of National Digital Literacy Mission
NDLM’s essential features include:
- A focus on building a better socio-economic ecosystem, particularly in rural areas.
- A comprehensive knowledge centre for imparting technical literacy and supplementary education.
- A curriculum designed to develop vital skills and boost critical thinking among the youth.
- A particular segment for teaching advanced technical skills to women.
- Digital literacy and security tools training.
- Support for sub-projects aimed at skill development, training, and employment of rural women.
Benefits of the National Digital Literacy Mission
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: NDLM reduces the gap between rural and urban areas by increasing access to the internet and digital technologies in rural areas.
Eligibility for National Digital Literacy Mission
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 an 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.
Documents required for National Digital Literacy Mission
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
What are the vision and objectives of the National Digital Literacy Mission?
The Indian government envisions collaborating with various stakeholders through NDLM and empowering Panchayat constituencies digitally. The project focuses on IT education 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 digital education 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
Which areas are covered under NDLM?
The NDLM scheme covers several areas, benefiting specific professions. Below are some examples:
| Areas | Number of individuals covered | Individual’s profession |
|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh - Vizag, Muthyalammapalem | 453 | Fishermen |
| North Tripura - Panisagar, Naogang | 280 | Farmers and Fishermen |
| Rajasthan - Ajmer, Arain | 250 | Various Professions |
Who are the stakeholders of NDLM?
The stakeholders of NDLM to achieve the mission are:
Bharat Broadband Network Limited
The organisation 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)
The stakeholders make the use of information and communication technology commercially viable.
Intel Corporation
The company works on providing education aimed at enhancing technical literacy.
What is the training provided under NDLM?
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 skills to use digital 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 duration of the course 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 starting date.
National Digital Literacy Mission in Indian Cities
Category A
| States | Number of students |
|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana), Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal | 3,10,000 |
Category B
| States | Number of students |
|---|---|
| Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, NCT of Delhi, Kerala, Odisha, and Punjab | 1,10,000 |
Category C
| States | Number of students |
|---|---|
| Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Puducherry, and Tripura | 36,666 |
FAQs - National Digital Literacy Mission
Does NDLM provide a certificate?
Yes. Once you complete the course, you receive a National Digital Literacy Mission certificate from government-recognised agencies like the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIEIT) and the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
How many members of a family are eligible to enrol for NDLM?
One member per family can apply for NDLM.
Where can I access the NDLM digital literacy courses?
The NDLM digital literacy courses are accessible on YouTube in English, Hindi, Assamese, Oriya, and Bengali. It is also being translated into other regional languages like Punjabi, Telugu, and Tamil. The handbook based on course content is available in Hindi and English, apart from certain major regional languages. You can find these course materials on the NDLM website as well.
What infrastructure is essential to register as an NDLM centre?
The following infrastructure is necessary for registration as an NDLM centre:
- A minimum of 3 to 5 computers with webcams.
- A strong and stable internet connection.
- An iris scanner or a biometric fingerprint scanner.
- Power backup.
What are the benefits of NDLM to candidates?
Candidates benefit from NDLM in various ways. They learn how to use computers, mobile phones, and tablets, as well as computer programs like MS Word, Excel, and Paint. The initiative trains candidates to use the internet to communicate via Facebook, Twitter, and Skype, book train and bus tickets, and make bill payments. There are no fees for the training. After passing the exam, participants receive certificates from government-recognised agencies like the NIEIT and NIOS.
Who can apply directly for training under the NDLM project?
A general candidate can apply directly for a National Digital Literacy Mission Certificate by logging in to the website and completing the Aadhaar authentication. No training is provided for these candidates, only the examination.
How much does a VLE or a training partner get under the NDLM scheme?
- Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLE) and training partners earn ₹500 if they are Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), or BPL students having cleared the level 1 and level 2 examinations. VLEs and training partners who have cleared the examination as ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and authorised ration dealers also earn the same.
- Other Backward Classes (OBC) and general candidates who become VLEs and training partners after clearing the examination get ₹375.
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