Minister for Information Technology Imran Raza Ansari today said digitization plays a key role in ensuring corruption-free and speedy delivery of services to the people.“The growth of the country can only be increased by moving towards digitization,” the Minister said, adding that the digital penetration in the country is around 75-80% but there is a need to bring rural areas at par with the cities in terms of digitization for the overall growth of the country.The Minister was addressing a gathering of VLEs and digitally literate candidates from various districts of Jammu during Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) celebrations at Panchayat Bhawan here.Secretary to Government, Information Technology Department Saugat Biswas, COO, CSC SPV Rishiraj Singh, State Head, CSC Farooq Renzu, General Manager, CSC Shahnawaz Rashid, VLEs, trainers and beneficiaries were present on the occasion.Terming VLEs in the state as ‘change agents’ of Digital India, the Minister said these rural entrepreneurs have the power to revolutionize India by empowering rural citizens and providing them job opportunities.The Minister said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working with a vision to elevate the rural population and ensure that over a billion-people become digitally literate by 2020. PMGDISHA has brought a revolution in the country and everybody associated with this programme is learning and earning, he added.
He further said that ensuring the presence of women at the fore front of “Digital India” would result in new social order where CSC VLEs would play the role of change agents in building a society free of any discrimination. Digitally empowered communities can bring a paradigm shift in encouraging and empowering rural India, he stressed.Meanwhile, the Minister distributed five PMGDISHA certificates and ten mobile phones to the deserving beneficiaries. An MoU of PMGDISHA was also exchanged between CSC and Jammu and Kashmir e-Governance Agency (JAKEGA) on the occasion.The Minister asked the VLEs to deliver all services to the citizens through CSC so that their turnover can be enhanced significantly. He also mentioned that Department of IT with the support of CSC can develop online services of the state departments to ensure their delivery through CSCs.Secretary to Govt, IT Department Saugat Biswas applauded the efforts of VLEs in promoting digital literacy and empowering the communities. He informed that under the programme, 1,80,000 candidates have been trained, out of which 80,000 have already been certified. The target of 6,58,000 has to be completed by 2019, he added.