10 Lakh Citizens to Receive Free AI Training as Digital India Celebrates a Decade of Transformation
New Delhi, July 17: Marking ten years of the Digital India initiative, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced a landmark push toward grassroots digital empowerment, including free artificial intelligence (AI) training for 10 lakh citizens, with priority given to Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs). The announcement was made during a grand celebration held at Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in Dwarka, New Delhi, on Wednesday to commemorate CSC Diwas and a decade of Digital India.
Union Minister for Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, who inaugurated the event, lauded the transformative role played by CSCs (Common Service Centres) in rural India. “When the world questioned how a tea seller or vegetable vendor could use digital payments, today that dream has come true—UPI payments have surpassed Visa transactions. This is the strength of 1.4 billion Indians,” the Minister remarked.
He highlighted that CSCs now cover nearly 90% of India’s villages, calling them the only medium capable of such nationwide penetration. Showcasing success stories, he praised VLEs like Manjulata from Odisha and Rose Angelina from Meghalaya for digitally empowering their remote communities despite challenging circumstances.
Among the major announcements at the event:
Free AI training for 10 lakh individuals, prioritizing all VLEs.
Encouragement for all VLEs to begin offering IRCTC ticketing services.
Commitment to collaborate with state governments to integrate their IT agencies with CSC-SPV.
Union Minister of State for Electronics & IT Jitin Prasada noted the exponential growth of CSCs from 83,000 in 2014 to nearly 5.5 lakh today. He emphasized their expanding role in health, education, agriculture, and financial inclusion, and underlined the importance of AI adoption, cybersecurity, and capacity building at the last mile.
Managing Director & CEO of CSC SPV Sanjay Rakesh called CSCs a symbol of inclusive development, enabling access to government and business services in even the remotest corners of India. “There is no longer a need to go to cities for essential services—CSCs are delivering them at doorsteps,” he said.
CSC Diwas was celebrated with great enthusiasm nationwide between July 1 and 15, with top-performing VLEs honored for their contributions. The Delhi event also included a July 15 conclave at Bharat Mandapam, where state IT Secretaries discussed the future of e-governance and rural empowerment.
Launched in 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Digital India programme has played a pivotal role in making India the world’s third-largest digital economy, bridging the digital divide and revolutionizing service delivery through initiatives like CSCs.
CSCs today provide a wide range of citizen-centric services, including Aadhaar, PAN, passport, banking, telemedicine, legal aid, agriculture services, and digital literacy programmes.
The government reiterated its commitment to the vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas—ensuring that no citizen is left behind in India’s digital journey.
