Kerala Becomes India's First Fully Digital Literate State, Formal Announcement On Aug 21

Trivandrum: Kerala, already named as the first state to achieve full literacy, has added another feather to its cap by becoming the first fully digital literate state in the country. The official announcement will be made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram on August 21.

The milestone was achieved through an innovative campaign launched by the state government to familiarise the population with digital literacy. The state-led ‘Digi Keralam- Full Digital Literacy’ project aimed to ensure that the benefits of digital technology reach every citizen, regardless of age, education or economic background.

Launched in 2022, The project took inspiration from the Pullampara Panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district, the first fully digitally literate panchayat in India. Based on its success, the model was scaled up to cover the entire state. The initiative was planned and implemented by the Local Self Government Department, focusing on enabling access to digital government services, online payments and official documentation such as certificates.

The project helped in ensuring all services offered by local self-governments in Kerala were made available online. It was guided by the vision that "when services go digital, no citizen should be left behind."

As part of the implementation, individuals aged 14 years and above, who lacked digital skills, were identified and provided with hands-on training covering smartphone usage, internet browsing, making video/audio calls, downloading photographs and videos, using platforms like YouTube and social media, accessing government e-services and understanding basic banking operations.

The outreach was extensive:

• 1.5 crore people from over 83 lakh families were surveyed.
• 21,88,398 learners were identified, and 21,87,966 completed training.
• Among 21,87,966 who completed the training, 21,87,667 individuals (99.98%) successfully passed the digital literacy assessment.

Those who did not pass at the first attempt were re-trained and reassessed to ensure no one was left behind. The project also saw the development of a dedicated web portal and mobile application to support training and evaluation.

A third-party evaluation by the Department of Economic and Statistical Affairs confirmed the success and transparency of the initiative.

Kerala’s achievement sets a national benchmark, reinforcing the state’s leadership in education and inclusive digital governance.

LSG Minister M.B. Rajesh, reflecting on the journey, said, “If Pullampara can do it, why not the whole of Kerala? Initially, we targeted citizens below 65, but eventually, over 15,000 newly literate participants were above 90. Within 18 months, Kerala achieved digital literacy for all. This lays the foundation for Kerala to become a knowledge-based economy.”

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