The State has been a pioneer in implementing programmes aimed at improving human lives and empowering the people, and the quest for 100 per cent e-literacy is reflective of that drive, Vice President M. Hamid Ansari has said.
He was speaking after inaugurating the digital library initiative of the P.N. Panicker Vigyan Vikas Kendra as part of the second phase of its total e-literacy programme.
The Internet, the Vice-President said, was a tool to help improve livelihoods and provide economic and social opportunities, particularly in rural areas. However, poor and marginalised communities also faced huge challenges in overcoming the digital divide, and were at risk of more exclusion. It was therefore important to integrate information and communications technology (ICT) into economic and social development projects.
The penetration of Internet, both conventional and mobile, had been increasing in the country. The mobile platform especially had helped make it accessible to a large number of people. This underscored the need to make people e-literate, especially since many services aimed at them were available on the ICT platform. In fact, the lack of e-literacy skills seemed more debilitating than basic literacy skills, Mr. Ansari said.
Mr. Ansari lauded the efforts of the P.N. Panicker Vigyan Vikas Kendra towards making Kerala the first e-literate State in the country. Governor P. Sathasivam said the need was to popularise digital literacy.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the government had taken up the onerous task of achieving total e-literacy, but along with its efforts, there was need for informal attempts to achieve the same.
