Centre’s scheme to bridge digital gap collapses in Nagaland

Our Correspondent Kohima, Feb. 6 (EMN): The ambitious Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) scheme promised big when it was launched in 2017, aiming at making six crore households “digitally literate” but it is way off the target with only a few weeks left before the March 31, 2019 deadline ends. In Nagaland, not even 10% target has been achieved. The scheme was introduced by the government of India under the Digital India programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bridge the digital gap by equipping one person from each family of the marginalised section, with digital learning, including operating emails, browsing the internet for official information, typing and printing, digital payment etc. Under the programme, as many as 1,01,000 people in Nagaland were supposed to be benefited. However, the data provided on its official website (pmgdisha.in) as of Feb. 6 said that only 2,192 people from the state got registered under the scheme; 2,132 completed training; and 1,138 certified students. In terms of the performance of the scheme in the state, Dimapur district leads with 921 students registered and completed training, and 531 certified students, followed by Peren with 283 students registered and completed training and 242 certified students. However, Longleng district is in the bottom by recording zero success of the scheme, followed Mokokchung district with 44 students registered and completed training and 34 certified students. Interestingly, out of the 921 students registered in Dimapur district, 866 of them are from Chumoukedima alone. All the beneficiaries from the state capital (132 registered students, 128 completed training, 49 certified students) are from Kohima Sardar alone, with other blocks in the district recording a zero percent. It may be mentioned that a budget of INR 2,351.38 crore was announced for the scheme by the finance minister during the Union Budget 2016-17. Out of six crore-target countrywide, only 1,97,75,159 got registered, 1,92,22,254 completed training and 1,08,10,946 certified students.