Intel to work with government to digitally skill 5 mn people

US-based chipmaker Intel Tuesday said it will work with the Indian government through its 'Digital Skills for India' program to help 5 million people by the end of 2015.

Intel India will also work with Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) to build capacity by imparting digital literacy training to key resource persons in the first 1,000 Panchayats under the National Optic Fiber Network roll-out in India.

"At Intel we believe that skill development and innovation are imperative for realizing the Digital India vision and these are the two areas in which Intel will begin working with the government to digitally empower the citizens of India.

"We are proud to launch the Intel Digital Skills for India Program which will set India on the path of becoming a digitally inclusive society. We are also excited to announce the Intel Innovate for India Challenge which will foster local innovation for pervasive technology adoption and usage across India," said Debjani Ghosh, vice president, sales and marketing group, and managing director, Intel South Asia.

As a part of the initiative, Intel India unveiled the Digital Skills Training Application comprising of modules on digital literacy, financial inclusion, healthcare and cleanliness in five Indian languages. This application will be available free on the Android Play Store from Dec 6, while a similar offline training module will also be made available in seven Indian languages.

Timothy Q. Parker, vice president - sales and marketing group and interim general manager Asia Pacific Japan, said: "The world is watching India with great interest. Through our technological innovations we strive to provide Indian citizens with computing solutions that are affordable, accessible and easy to use.

"We are proud to launch the Digital Skills for India program and feel we can make a substantial difference given our mission of extending computing technology to every individual on Earth."

"Enabling Broadband Highways is an imperative of the Digital India vision and the National Optic Fiber Network roll-out aims to deliver true broadband to Panchayats. I am happy that corporate citizens like Intel are working with us to digitally empower citizens at the grassroots so that," said Aruna Sundararajan, administrator (USOF) and chairman-cum-managing director, BBNL.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address to the nation Aug 15 envisaged a Rs.1 lakh crore project to transform the country into a digitally empowered and connected knowledge economy.