Kerala to be declared first state to achieve total digital literacy: Report
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is poised to make history as the first state in India to achieve total digital literacy, thanks to a sweeping grassroots campaign that has empowered over 21 lakh people with essential digital skills. From senior citizens making video calls for the first time to workers accessing online government services, the initiative has transformed lives across the state.
According to a report by The Hindu, the landmark achievement stems from the ‘Digi Kerala’ programme spearheaded by the Local Self-Government (LSG) department. LSG Minister M.B. Rajesh confirmed that the state government is now awaiting confirmation from the President of India to formally declare Kerala as fully digitally literate.
“We have achieved much beyond the guidelines stipulated by the National Digital Literacy Mission for digital literacy, which require training to be imparted only for those up to 60 years of age. This programme has included people of all ages,” The Hindu report quoted Rajesh as saying.
The Digi Kerala movement began as a pilot project in 2022 in the Pullampara grama panchayat in the capital city to impart digital literacy to all residents. What started as a local experiment soon grew into a state-wide campaign, with participants—many of whom had never used a smartphone—learning to make voice and video calls, use messaging apps like WhatsApp, access government services, carry out internet banking, and use popular social media platforms.
State-wide surveys identified 21.88 lakh individuals as digitally illiterate. To reach them, the programme mobilised an extensive network of 2.57 lakh volunteers. This included members of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Kudumbashree, the Kerala State Literacy Mission Preraks, Library Council, and various youth organisations, the report added.
To ensure the quality of learning, trainees underwent evaluations upon completion of the programme. An impressive 98 percent passed the assessment. Notably, in areas where more than 10 percent variation was observed, re-training sessions were held. Offline training was also provided in regions with poor internet connectivity.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
