Digital literacy is now an essential part of the national development in the twenty-first century especially in the developing economies like India where technology is at the centre of governance, education, and economic output. Digital empowerment through rural and semi-urban colleges has a positive impact on the provision of digital infrastructure, information technology education, and skills-based training programs that increase technological competence among students. Research has shown that a significant number of the Indian population resides in the rural regions where digital literacy is relatively low since not many people have access to internet connection, devices and training centers. According to recent surveys digital literacy levels among rural households only amount to about 25 percent in comparison to over 60 percent in urban households meaning that there is a significant digital divide that has to be bridged with education programs and institutional support. At present, higher education institutions serving rural and semi-urban areas can contribute to reducing this gap by incorporating digital learning into school curricula, implementing computer laboratories, and offering community-based digital literacy services. It is also through education institutions that national digital transformation initiatives are being facilitated by educating the students in the areas of information technology, online learning sites and digital entrepreneurship. This paper discusses how the rural and semi-urban colleges can help in digital literacy and facilitate the national development agenda of Viksit Bharat 2047. The paper will be premised on secondary information obtained through scholarly literature, government publications, and school statistics. The results have shown that colleges are key institutions of digital learning, community outreach, and technology skills development, hence inclusive and sustainable national development.
Karande et al. (Sat,) studied this question.