Building a Knowledge Society: Learnings from a Digital Literacy Program

The advancements in digital technology are redefining society. In the digital transformation era, lack of digital literacy can result in social exclusion and leave people bereft of employment opportunities. Realizing the significance of a digitally literate society, the Government of India had launched a nationwide initiative, known as Digital Sakshatra Abhiyan (DISHA)/National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM). The objective of DISHA was to impart basic digital literacy to participants to empower them and improve their lifestyle. In this paper, we build a research model using the Kirkpatrick model to evaluate the key components contributing to the effectiveness of DISHA. We conduct a survey with 2031 participants and use structured equation modelling to validate the research model. We also examine the influence of demographic factors on training. Our findings contribute to the digital literacy literature and inform the adoption and planning of similar digital literacy training initiatives in the future.

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