Nasscom Foundation launches programme to impart digital skills to over 35 lakh people

The Nasscom Foundation on Wednesday launched the “Aspirational Districts Programme” intending to digitally enable and skill over 3.5 million people by March 2024, to empower marginalized people in remote and backward areas of India.

The programme will focus on digital literacy, e-governance, and digital skill building for marginalized communities and establish digital resource centers in 55 aspirational districts to prioritize digital literacy and tech-based skilling, Nasscom Foundation said in a statement.

“The government’s Aspirational Districts Programme spearheaded by NITI Aayog has triggered equitable growth and development in every corner of the country. As an extension to the government’s initiative, Nasscom Foundations’ aspirational districts programme focuses on the two aspects of inclusive growth and meeting SDG commitments,“ said Nidhi Bhasin, CEO, Nasscom Foundation.

“We are confident that through our collective efforts to roll out people-centric digital initiatives we will be able to transform 55 districts and empower over 3.5 million lives and thus, make technology affordable, equitable, and most importantly accessible to the last mile,” she added.

“There is no doubt that India is on a high economic growth trajectory and the key is to take the entire country along in this development journey. With initiatives like this, I am confident that significant progress will be made toward equitable development. This is one of the first steps in ensuring a national inclusive development strategy that fosters technology and ensures that no district is left behind,” said Rakesh Ranjan, Mission Director, NITI Aayog.

Nasscom Foundation is tapping into more than 100 aspirational districts out of which 55 districts have been identified as of now across 23 states, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.