Raja Syed Rather
The Central government has completed the Digital Village Pilot Project, covering 20 villages in Jammu and Kashmir and two in Ladakh as part of its initiative to promote digital literacy and e-governance services in rural areas.
The information was shared by Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw in response to a question in Parliament.
The initiative, he said, was aimed at providing multiple services, including basic computer education, skill development, tele-health consultations, financial inclusion awareness and solar-powered street lighting in one village per district across states and union territories.
Under the scheme, villagers were trained in automotive repair, handset repair, home appliance maintenance, and electrical technician skills to boost employment opportunities, he said.
“However, the project did not include setting up Common Service Centres (CSCs) or ensuring full-scale internet connectivity in villages. Instead, existing CSCs were utilised, with internet services available at these centres,” the minister said.
Vaishnaw said the Department of Telecommunications is working under the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) initiative to provide 4G connectivity to uncovered villages, with BharatNet aiming to deliver at least 25 Mbps broadband speed to rural households.
While the Digital Village Project was not specifically targeted at any community or gender, the government said it played a role in promoting digital inclusion, literacy, and rural entrepreneurship for all sections of society, including women and marginalised communities.
With the project’s completion, digital infrastructure efforts in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh now rely on broader national programmes like BharatNet and 4G saturation schemes, which are expected to expand connectivity across more remote areas in the coming years.
