Kerala Nears Milestone as India’s First Digitally Literate State

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is on the verge of achieving a major digital milestone. Nearly 99 percent of its population between the ages of 14 and 60 have acquired basic digital skills, positioning the state to become India’s first fully digitally literate region. According to M B Rajesh, Minister for Local Self -Governance, the official declaration of this achievement will be made shortly by the President of India.
This milestone reflects Kerala’s longstanding commitment to digital inclusivity. The state was the first in India to declare Internet access a basic right. The Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON) project, which aims to provide affordable Internet connectivity to all citizens, is nearing completion. Recognising that universal Internet access must be matched by digital literacy, the government launched the ambitious DigiKeralam initiative.
To understand the digital competency of its residents, the state conducted a large-scale survey involving 2.57 lakh volunteers. The survey identified 21,88,398 individuals as digitally illiterate. These individuals were enrolled in structured training programmes developed by experts. Of those trained, 21,87,966 completed the course, and 21,87,667 passed the final assessment. This represents a success rate of 99.98 percent. Remarkably, the training included 15,223 individuals aged over 90.
Transparency and credibility were central to the initiative. Oversight was provided by the District Joint Directors of Local Self- Government and the Department of Economics and Statistics. The state has also made significant strides in digital governance through platforms such as K-SMART, which integrates a range of services at the local government level, putting Kerala ahead of other Indian states in terms of e-governance.
Recently, the Supreme Court of India observed that true equality in today’s context requires universal access to digital infrastructure. It stated that platforms related to government services and education must be accessible to all segments of society. The Court also remarked that Article 21 of the Indian Constitution—the right to life—should now be interpreted through the lens of digital access. Kerala, notably, has been working in this direction for the past three years.
The state’s digital literacy efforts began with Pullampara, a Panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram, which became India’s first digitally literate Panchayat. Inspired by this success, the government extended the programme statewide, in tandem with the roll out of the K-SMART platform. The guiding objective has been clear: as government services shift online, the public must be equipped with the skills to access them.
Commenting on the achievement, Minister M B Rajesh said Kerala has gone beyond the scope defined by the National Digital Literacy Mission, which limited its focus to those under 60 years of age. In contrast, Kerala included individuals across all age groups, taking a decisive step toward a more inclusive and digitised future.