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Kochi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday formally declared the state as the first ‘digitally literate’ state in the country, following the successful completion of the ‘Digi Keralam’ campaign of the local self-government department (LSGD) to identify ‘digital illiterates’ and train them to use smartphones and access government services.
The ‘Digi Keralam’ campaign of the LSG department was rolled out statewide in 2023 after finding inspiration from Pullampara panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district. (ANI PHOTO)
At the event in Thiruvananthapuram, CM Vijayan also interacted on a video-call with 105-year-old former imam MA Abdullah Moulavi Baqafi, one of the oldest learners, and clicked selfies with two elderly women who had become ambassadors of the campaign.
The ‘Digi Keralam’ campaign of the LSG department was rolled out statewide in 2023 after finding inspiration from Pullampara panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district which trained all of its residents to become digitally literate and use smartphones for basic purposes. The objectives were to help sections of the public, especially the elderly and those from marginalised communities, get acquainted with internet and smartphones and use them to know more about and access government services which are in the process of being digitalised.
Over 80 lakh households across all rural and urban local bodies in the state were surveyed, as part of which over 21 lakh were identified as ‘digitally illiterate’, 99.98% of whom were trained and eventually passed evaluations. Over 15,000 of those trained were above the age of 90.
The three-part module, set as per the directions of the Union government, to achieve digital literacy included learning how to switch on and switch off the smartphone, save contacts, call people, use voice messages on WhatsApp, using apps like YouTube and Google search and doing online payments for utilities like LPG and electricity.
“Thanks to the campaign, many people, especially elderly sections, are able to pay their bills online and access e-services of the government. They are able to interact wiith others through social media. The model set by Pullampara panchayat has been replicated across the state. Accessing the internet and being able to handle computers and smartphones are the prerequisites to be labelled as digitally literate. In India, the % of the population who are digitally literate stands at 38%. It shows how big our achievement in Kerala is,” said CM Vijayan.
“We worked tirelessly for this campaign. Over 2.57 lakh volunteers were part of the enrollment and learning campaign. It included NSS, NCC, NYK volunteers, school and college students, Kudumbashree personnel, SC/ST promoters and library council members. We thank everyone,” the CM said.
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