The Centre is planning to give digital literacy training to six crore rural households over the next three years so that more people make digital payments and benefit from internet-based services.
The government will also train 14 lakh anganwadi workers and computerise 65,000 rural cooperative banks, Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Besides, digital literacy training will also be given to gram panchayat members and rural health workers, he said.
The government will involve common service centres in the digital literacy programme. Apart from the existing 2.05 lakh centres, another 50,000 will be opened soon. The Union cabinet has already approved the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan, under which Rs 2,351.38 crore will be spent in the next three years.
Digitally literate people would be able to operate computers and digital access devices like tablets and smartphones, send and receive emails, undertake cashless transactions and browse the net to access government services and search for information.
The scheme will be implemented under the supervision of the Ministry of Electronics and IT in collaboration with the states and Union Territories through their designated state-implementing agencies and district e-governance societies.
According to the National survey only 6% of rural households have a computer, implying that a large number of them are digitally illiterate.
Published 11 February 2017, 20:59 IST