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E-Vidya proves a boon for women in urban Gurdaspur
8,000 women to be provided free computer education
Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, March 26
Starry-eyed Renu Bala (16), daughter of a mason, sees a bright future ahead after she started undergoing E-Vidya, a Central government-sponsored 36-hour basic computer training course.

E-Vidya is an initiative launched by the National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW) in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. Gurdaspur is one of the four districts selected on pilot-project basis by NMEW in which 8,000 women will be empowered through basic computer skills.

Hundreds of young women like Renu Bala, who have attained the age of 16 and are matriculates, are now saying adieu to doing menial work in the houses of affluent people. A majority of them, who have completed their training, are earning money through internet sites specialising in "work and earn from home" projects.

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The skills are being imparted at the 50-odd Common Service Centres (CSCs) spread all over the district. At these centres, also known as mini suvidha centres, residents can get all their administrative work done under the one roof. There are a total of 250 centres in the district and E-Vidya is using 50 of them to impart computer education.

NMEW has engaged the Department of Electronics and Information Technology to provide technical logistics.

Sanjeev Sarpal, who is overseeing the work of CSCs, said, "The objective is to provide computer literacy to at least 8,000 women in this district alone. In rural areas, it was MGNREGA which brought about women's empowerment. Now in urban areas, E-Vidya will do what MGNREGA did in villages- to empower women financially."

Vasudha Gupta, a teacher working at a CSC, said, "We are teaching computer courses designed by the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIEIT). After undergoing the mandatory 36-hour training spread over 18 days, these women will have to appear for an online test to be conducted by NIEIT. The successful candidates will be given certificates which will help them in getting decent jobs. Many women in Gurdaspur are working in unorganised sectors. They are still bound by tradition. We want to ensure that they change their mindset through computer education," she added.

The programme

E-Vidya is an initiative launched by the National Mission for Empowerment of Women in collaboration with Union Ministry of Women and Child Development
Gurdaspur is one of the four districts selected on pilot-project basis by NMEW in which 8,000 women will be empowered through basic computer skills