Cyber Gram Yojana: IT Training for Minorities

PROGRESS REPORT – JANUARY 2016

Submitted to

Submitted by

CSC e-Governance Services India Limited

3rd

Floor, Electronics Niketan, 6, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003

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1. Project Background

Today, we are living in a digital society. A society where our actions are frequently mediated by

digital tools and the objects we encounter often shaped by digital intervention. Information and

Communication Technology is speeding up the flow of information globally and facilitating the

creation of knowledge economies. A knowledge-based economy is of particular importance to

developing countries like India. A well educated population, adequately equipped with skills, is not

only essential to support economic growth, but is also a pre-condition for growth to be inclusive.

The Indian economy has achieved a growth rate of around 8 per cent over the last decade. The

contribution of IT sector to this growth is significant as it has been the largest source of

employment in the last two decades. ICT has brought about significant changes in lifestyle and in

turn contributed to better living. However, the minorities in India are yet to benefit from the

services of ICT.

In developing countries, the potential of ICTs to positively affect minorities is highly dependent on

their level of technical skills and education. A well educated population, adequately equipped with

skills and technical knowledge, is not only essential for economic growth but also a precondition for

growth to be inclusive. According to statistics from the U.N., minorities are trapped in traditional

family roles, without digital literacy. The introduction of ICT infrastructure further becomes

meaningless if minorities do not have the skills to operate the IT infrastructure and use it to their

advantage.

The Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) under the Ministry of Minority Affairs aims at

improving the socio-economic conditions of minorities in identified minority concentration areas

and providing basic amenities to them for improving the quality of life. As we are living in a digital

age, it is felt that to achieve the objectives of the programme, it is necessary to equip the targeted

groups with knowledge of ICT and enable them to use ICT services in their personal and

professional spheres. ICT training will also equip them with greater access to information and

introduce them to new forms of social interaction which will ultimately lead to achievement of the

objectives of the programme. To this end, CSC SPV collaborated with Ministry of Minority Affairs to

implement the Cyber Gram Yojana under the MsDP in minority concentrated districts of West

Bengal, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

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2. Project Objective

The Scheme intends to cover students of classes VI to X belonging to minority community and

residing in areas covered under Multi-sectoral Development Programme. The primary objective of

the scheme is to provide hands-on training in computers for students from minority community

and enabling them to acquire basic ICT skills that empower them to:

Become digitally literate

Actively participate in knowledge based activities

Access financial, social and government services

Use Internet for communications

Reinforcing the learning of trained beneficiaries by providing free Internet access for 30

hours (1 hour per day)

This monthly report provides an overview of the project progress in the states of West Bengal,

Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan for the month of January, 2016.

3. Progress Update

3.1 Selection of Districts

Under this project, a total of 59 districts have been identified in the states of West Bengal, Tripura,

Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and the State-wise list of these districts is given below:

S. No. State Districts

1. West Bengal Murshidabad, Birbhum, Burdwan, Howrah,

Nadia, North 24 Parganas, Medinipur, South 24

Parganas, Cooch Behar, Dakshin Dinajpur,

Darjeeling, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur

2. Tripura North Tripura, Unakoti, Sepahijala

3. Uttar Pradesh Kannauj, Hapur, Barabanki, Amroha, Sant Kabir

Nagar, Bareilly, Basti, Shrawasti, Meerut,

Lekhimpur Kheri, Pilibhit, Faizabad, Sitapur,

Aligarh, Bhadoi, Firozabad, Muzaffar Nagar,

Siddharth Nagar, Bahraich, Amethi, Kasganj,

Fatehabad, Pratapgarh, Saharanpur,

Ghaziabad, Balrampur, Sultanpur, Azamgarh,

Sambhal, Bijnor, Baghpat, Maharajaganj,

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Ghajipur, Etawah, Gonda, Shamli, Unnao,

Ambedkar Nagar, Moradabad, Rampur,

Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Jalaun

4. Rajasthan Hanumangarh, Alwar, Bharatpur, Jaisalmer,

Barmer, Swai Madhopur, Nagour, Tonk

5. Maharashtra Approved in the State on 14th December 2015,

field work in progress.

3.2 Learning Management System

CSC SPV has developed a dedicated portal-cum-Learning Management System (LMS), which is

available on http://www.cybergramyojana.in The LMS is designed to facilitate learning among the

minorities through the CSCs. Registrations of minority students, training centres, madrasas /schools

and their progress can be viewed through this portal.

Salient features of the LMS:

Manage project States

Manage curriculum modules, chapters and topics

Manage assessments of students

Manage reports

Manage registered students

3.3 Selection of CSCs

CSC SPV and relevant SCAs have identified the CSCs based on the minimum infrastructure

requirements:

i. VLE or his/ her representative should have basic computer qualification

ii. Two to five operational personal computers or laptops

iii. One web camera of high resolution (mandatory)

iv. Reliable Internet connectivity

3.4 Selection of Beneficiaries

Beneficiaries under the Cyber Gram scheme are selected by Minority Welfare Department,

Panchayat, and madrasas/government schools. The selection of beneficiaries is further made on

the basis of the following criteria:

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i. Students studying in Madarsas having no facility for computer education.

ii. Students from classes VI to X of government schools having no facility for computer

education.

iii. Any other student belonging to the minority community.

Based on the beneficiary selection criteria, the VLEs have so far identified 3, 71,657 beneficiaries

from 1135 madrasas and 589 schools in the four project states. The state-wise break-up of the

beneficiaries identified is given below:

3.5 Training of Beneficiaries

S.No. State Beneficiaries

Registered

Beneficiaries Trained

Examination Scheduled

Beneficiaries Appeared

Beneficiaries Passed

1. West Bengal 94,230 83,797 48,772 20,504 14,699

2. Rajasthan 2,247 1,056 -- -- --

3. Tripura 8,439 7,689 701 662 547

Total 10,4916 92,542 49,472 21,166 15,246

A total of 10, 4916 beneficiaries have been registered from West Bengal, Rajasthan and Tripura, of

which 92,542 have completed their training. Examinations have been scheduled for 49,472

beneficiaries from West Bengal, of which 15,246 have passed.

S.No. State No. of Madarsas No. of Schools Beneficiaries Identified

1. West Bengal 244 -- 1,70,005

2. Tripura 9 188 18,109

3. Uttar Pradesh 878 349 1,73,143

4 Rajasthan 4 52 10400

Total 1135 589 3,71,657

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Please find below some of the screen shots of the Modules developed under the Project.

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3.6 Gender-wise Distribution of Beneficiaries Out of the total 10, 4916 beneficiaries registered for training in Rajasthan, Tripura and West Bengal majority are girls. 69,405 girls have been registered from the states as against 35,511 boys. The table below details the gender-wise distribution of beneficiaries in the States:

3.7 Community-wise Distribution of Beneficiaries Out of the total 10,4916 beneficiaries registered for training in Rajasthan, Tripura and West Bengal majority are Muslims – 101867, following with Buddhists - 811 and Christians -118.

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3.8 Examinations in West Bengal and Tripura Examinations in West Bengal were held in the month of August and December, 2015 in 13 districts of West Bengal, namely Murshidabad, Birbhum, Bardhaman, Howrah, Nadia, North 24 Paraganas, Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, Cooch Behar, Dakshin Dinajpur, Darjeeling, Malda and Uttar Dinajpur. A total of 20,504 beneficiaries appeared in the examination, of which 14,858 passed. The response for the examinations had been good despite floods in the State. Examinations in Tripura were held in the month of October, November 2015 and January 2016 in Sepahijala district of Tripura. A total of 675 beneficiaries appeared in the examination.

Examinations being held in Tripura

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Examinations being held in West Bengal

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Beneficiaries training in Rajasthan

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3.9 Various Events under the Project The project was launched on 11th November, 2014 in West Bengal by Smt Mamata Banerjee, Honorable Chief Minister of the state. The scheme was inaugurated in the presence of 25,000 people including huge number of Minority students. Cyber Gram Yojana was officially inaugurated in the state of Tripura on November 4, 2015. The scheme was inaugurated by Smt. Jasmine Akhtar, Chairperson of Boxanagar Panchayat Samiti at Kulubari, Sepahijala district. About 200 students attended the ceremony. Shri Shubo Miya, member of the Boxanagar Samiti, Shri Humayun Miya, Pradhan of Kulubari Panchayat and Shri U.A. Ahmed, Joint director of the Minority’s Welfare Department were also present on the occasion.

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Good response under Cybergram Yojana exams in WB despite heavy rainfall

CSC (Cybergram Yojana) Stall during the Milan Mela held in Kolkata, West Bengal