DigiSakshar: A Digital Skills Development Platform by Vodafone India Foundation, CGI and NASSCOM Foundation

Vodafone India Foundation, in partnership with CGI and NASSCOM Foundation, announced the launch of ‘DigiSakshar.org’. Digisakshar is an online digital skills portal that aims to help citizens of India become self-reliant through digital literacy. The portal will empower the marginalized communities and help them become a part of the digital economy, says Vodafone Foundation.

The portal was launched in a virtual event. The people present in the event were:

• P. Balaji, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited

• George Mattackal, President, Asia Pacific Global Delivery Centers of Excellence, CGI

• Dr Dinesh Tyagi, CEO, CSC e-Governance Services India Limited

• Ms Preeti Arora, Head Learning Resources and Technology, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)

• Ashok Pamidi, CEO, NASSCOM Foundation and

• Santosh Abraham, Vice President, NASSCOM Foundation.

About DigiSakshar

Vodafone developed this under its CSR initiative ‘Connecting for Good program’. A release from Vodafone India states that they developed DigiSakshar to help communities graduate to digital literacy. This will help them to use this knowledge to build and enhance their livelihood, thus encouraging the digital have-nots and digital novices to become a part of the technological revolution. In addition to offering digital literacy to communities, the self-learning portal will also drive them towards better job and entrepreneurship opportunities helping them become self-reliant.

Speaking at the occasion, P. Balaji, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited said:

"Vodafone Idea is committed to developing communities where we operate. And our commitment is well encapsulated in our company’s mission statement. We have transformative initiatives in the domains of Agriculture, Education, Health, Women Empowerment which are positively impacting millions of Indians every year. Today, as part of our commitment to increase digital literacy and help communities learn digital skills, I am delighted to announce the launch of Digisakshar – which I am sure will contribute to a resilient and skilled India."

The free to use portal provides over 40 courses in both Hindi and English. They support content for all age groups and cover basic, intermediate and advanced knowledge on digital skills. The courses range from basics of computer operations, handling mobile phones, using the internet securely, digital payments, finding jobs and livelihood opportunities, accessing common and government websites and many more.

It will soon also be available in Kannada, Oriya and Marathi.

What is CGI?

CGI is an independent IT and business consulting services firm. Through its CSR Initiative, the company aims to develop self-learning content in multiple languages. This will also augment the digital skills curriculum on DigiSakshar. Further, CGI will help strengthen DigiSakshar’s technology infrastructure for better access and efficient UX.

George Mattackal, President of Asia Pacific Global Delivery Centers of Excellence, CGI, said:

"At CGI we strive to make a positive impact through technology. Through DigiSakshar, our goal is to help enable digital literacy and contribute to improving the social and economic well-being of the communities in which we live and work."

Role of NASSCOM Foundation

NASSCOM Foundation has program managed the creation of the portal. It is also working towards a sustainability model for the same. Ashok Pamidi, CEO, NASSCOM Foundation, said:

"NASSCOM Foundation is one of the first organizations to realise the potential of digital literacy. It brings it to the underserved communities through ‘Follow the Fibre’ initiative in 2011. We now bring our ten years worth of experience of making millions become digitally literate to create the best fit portal for digital literacy and skills. With DigiSakshar, we hope to further the Prime Minister’s agenda of a self-reliant India through digital literacy. With digital literacy through physical centres taking a huge hit due to the current crisis, Digisakshar hopes to provide a safe online learning environment for Digital Novices to learn new skills."

The access to DigiSakshar is simple with an OTP Login. The portal caters to the learning needs of different users. It also has built-in accessibility features to ensure inclusion for the visually impaired.

The course modules contain both text and videos for ease of learning. The user can access personalised content, multi-level courses and self-assess through question banks.

NGOs and Volunteers can also use the DigiSakshar platform to make digital literacy accessible across India and empower the underprivileged communities of our country to become digitally literate and self-reliant.