On August 21, Kerala will formally be proclaimed a fully digitally literate state, completing the first phase of the Digi Kerala project, which aims to close the digital divide by implementing grassroots interventions across all local bodies. Kerala will be declared the nation's first digitally literate state on Thursday by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during a ceremony held at the capital's Central Stadium.
Speaking at a news conference here on Tuesday, M.B. Rajesh, the Minister for Local-Self Governments, stated that the State, which attained complete literacy in 1991, had set yet another example for the nation, with more than 99% of the populace gaining complete digital literacy. He noted that in addition to providing the majority of its services online via the KSMART platform, the government also sought to provide all citizens with the digital skills they would need to access these services.
In 2021, Pullampara Panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram started the project to address the problems the local populace was having because of the digital divide. To find people of all ages who are digitally illiterate, surveys were conducted on the ground. Based on a syllabus created specifically for the purpose, the trainees—the majority of whom were using digital equipment for the first time—were instructed on how to use cellphones for voice and video calls, WhatsApp, popular social media platforms, and digital services.
In September 2022, after the government made the decision to extend the program throughout the State, Pullampara was deemed entirely digitally literate. According to surveys conducted among 1.5 crore individuals from 83.46 lakh households, 21.88 lakh of them lacked digital literacy. 99.98% of the participants, or 21.87 lakh people, had successfully finished the evaluation and training.
