Thiruvananthapuram: The total e-literacy programme to be launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday aims at making Kerala hundred percent e-literate within 33 months.
The PM will also lay the foundation stone for the Global Training Centre of Tata Consultancy Services at Technocity, which would be the biggest training facility of TCS worldwide.
The P.N. Panicker Vigyan Vikas Kendra is spearheading the total e-literacy project with the support of the centre and state government departments.
The objective is to ensure that all sections of society get the benefit of information and communication technology.
In the first phase, e-literacy drive will be carried out in 100 panchayats and about 15 lakh persons will be made computer literate.
IT, education and panchayat departments, Keltron, Akshaya centres and various voluntary organisations are part of the venture. About 10 resource persons will be selected in each panchayat and they will initiate the e-literacy training and awareness drives in the locality.
Persons in the age group of 14 to 80 who completed computer literacy programme prescribed by IGNOU will also be issued certificates.
The estimated cost of the programme is about Rs 7.95 core, of which Rs 3.75 core will be contributed by the centre and the rest will be raised by panchayats' plan funds and through sponsorships.
“TCS is planning an 8.8-million-square-feet facility at Technocity that could provide training and accommodation to 16,000 candidates.
The Rs 3,600-crore project will also be the first project in Technocity. Though the state government also sought the Prime Minister’s convenience for inaugurating the third-phase of Technopark, the PMO had not yet confirmed it.
