Dhanbad District Magistrate-cum-Deputy Commissioner Mr. Aditya Ranjan on Tuesday announced a major initiative to make every student in the district digitally literate by providing free digital literacy and skill development training.
Chairing a meeting at the Collectorate auditorium with Vinod Bihari Mahto Koylanchal University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ram Kumar Singh, the Registrar, and principals of 25 colleges, the Deputy Commissioner said that Government Polytechnic has already signed an MoU with the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), marking the beginning of this digital transformation drive. Similar MoUs will now be signed with other colleges to expand the initiative district-wide.
Colleges have been instructed to set up computer labs and identify students for training. As enrollment grows, infrastructure will be expanded with full support from the district administration. Students will have access to online skill courses, faculty development programs, seminars, workshops, guest lectures, placement assistance, and career guidance.
NIELIT Executive Director Prof. Dr. Nitin Kumar Puri, addressing the meeting via video conferencing, highlighted industry-aligned short- and long-term courses under NSQF, including computer fundamentals, artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of Things, and advanced computing. He said students will receive hands-on practical training, recognized certifications, placement support, and academic credit linkage through the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC).
Representing the Azim Premji Scholarship program, Mr. Chandan Srivastava shared details of financial assistance for first-year undergraduate and diploma girl students from government schools, offering ₹30,000 annually. The last date to apply is January 31.
DMFT PMU Team Leader Mr. Shailesh Tiwari, along with Mr. Akash Kumar Gupta (PM-MIS) and Mr. Amar Kumar Srivastava (PM-Livelihood & Skills), were also present at the meeting.
