Dell empowers 2 million Indians in digital skills, to expand further

Dell Technologies declared on Tuesday that it has successfully achieved its goal of positively impacting two million beneficiaries in India through the introduction of Mobile Solar Community Hubs last year and is now gearing up to extend the program.

These mobile hubs are technologically advanced and equipped with essential devices such as laptops, television screens for message broadcasting, solar panels for powering devices, 4G internet hotspot capabilities, and self-paced learning content. They serve as a means for the community to access online services.

Alok Ohrie, President and Managing Director of Dell Technologies India, expressed, "Partnering with the government over the years in various activities has helped drive transformational change and address the digital divide."

In collaboration with the Common Service Centres Scheme (CSC), Dell and Learning Links Foundation have successfully deployed solar-powered hubs in six aspirational districts identified by the government. The primary beneficiaries include students, youth, and women who received support in digital and financial literacy, technical skills, entrepreneurship, career guidance, and revenue-generating services.

Dell is now broadening the scope of the Mobile Solar Community Hubs to encompass five additional districts: Pauri Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Ramgarh (Jharkhand), Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh), Pathankot (Punjab), and Gurugram (Haryana).

Archana Sahay, Regional Giving Manager, Asia Pacific & Japan at Dell Technologies, emphasized, "Our collaboration is driven by the goal to support underrepresented communities to achieve digital equity, where they find themselves equipped with the technology capacity needed for full participation in society and the economy."

Furthermore, the program aims to upskill and digitally empower 200 ex-servicemen/retiring junior-ranked personnel from the Indian Armed Forces. The hubs will also benefit wards of military personnel or 4,000 students at Defense schools by introducing them to digital skills such as coding and block-programming.

Nuriya Ansari of Learning Links Foundation stated, "The expansion plan will be critical in transforming the lives of rural underrepresented communities, and ex-servicemen and retiring junior-ranked personnel from the Indian Armed Forces. These dedicated individuals face difficulties transitioning to civilian life due to a lack of opportunities for skill acquisition and learning during their military service."

(With input from IANS)