**Executive Summary**
This report addresses the effect of the digital divide on students in rural and remote areas of Assam, India. It outlines the government's initiatives, particularly the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) and related programs like ICT initiatives, PM eVidya, and DIKSHA, aimed at bridging the digital gap. The report also shares details about internet connectivity, digital infrastructure, and assessment of student performance in Assam.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **National Education Policy (NEP) 2020:**
* Aims to revise and revamp the education structure to align with 21st-century aspirational goals.
* **ICT and Digital Initiatives:**
* The Ministry of Education implements ICT and Digital initiatives under Samagra Shiksha for digital learning in government schools.
* Funds are provided to States/UTs to set up ICT Labs and Smart Classrooms.
* ICT scheme offers two options for schools (with or without prior ICT facilities).
* **PM eVidya:**
* Initiated as part of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan' to enable multi-mode access to education.
* Includes 200 DTH TV Channels and 400 Radio channels for supplementary education.
* Assam has been allotted 5 channels disseminating 3,300+ video contents equaling 670+ hours.
* **DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing):**
* A digital platform for quality e-content and Energised Textbooks (ETBs).
* Assam has 3.49 lakh registered users and 7.82 crore learning sessions.
* DIKSHA Offline supports areas with limited or no internet connectivity.
* Provides access to Virtual Labs and Virtual skill labs.
* **Infrastructure and Connectivity in Assam:**
* Digital education facilities are provided across Assam, including rural, urban, tea garden, and minority areas.
* Out of 10,783 Upper Primary, Secondary, and Senior Secondary Schools, 10,099 schools are covered under various digital initiatives.
* Connectivity status and smart classroom saturation detailed for Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts.
* **Performance Assessment:**
* PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 (formerly National Achievement Survey) was undertaken to understand the baseline performance of students.
* **Future Initiatives:**
* The Government of India has announced provision of broadband connectivity to all Government Secondary schools in rural areas under the 'BharatNet' project.
* BSNL has identified 415 schools eligible in Phase-1 for high-speed internet connectivity.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Education**
* **Impact**
* Responsible for implementing and overseeing the NEP 2020 and various digital education initiatives.
* **Action Required**
* Continue to allocate funds and monitor the progress of ICT initiatives and digital learning programs in Assam.
* Evaluate the effectiveness of PM eVidya and DIKSHA in improving educational outcomes.
**State Government of Assam**
* **Impact**
* Responsible for implementing the policies and initiatives at the state level, including setting up infrastructure.
* **Action Required**
* Utilise allocated funds to improve internet connectivity and provide digital devices to schools.
* Collaborate with NCERT and other bodies to ensure that digital education initiatives are tailored to the needs of students in Assam.
**Students in Rural and Remote Areas of Assam**
* **Impact**
* Will benefit from improved access to digital education resources and better internet connectivity.
* **Action Required**
* Engage with digital education initiatives and utilize the resources provided to enhance learning.
**Schools and Teachers in Assam**
* **Impact**
* Need to adapt teaching methods to integrate technology into the learning process.
* **Action Required**
* Utilise ICT labs and smart classrooms.
* Participate in training programs to enhance their digital literacy and teaching skills.
Key Entities Referenced
National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020): A policy document that aims to address developmental imperatives of the country and proposes revisions to the education structure.
Ministry of Education: The central ministry responsible for implementing ICT and Digital initiatives under Samagra Shiksha and digital learning in Government schools.
Samagra Shiksha: A scheme under which the Ministry of Education implements ICT and Digital initiatives for digital learning in schools.
DIKSHA: The Nation's One Nation, One Digital platform for providing quality e-content for school education.
Assam: Indian state where the effects of digital divide on students are being assessed and addressed.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 385
ANSWERED ON 02/02/2026
Effect of Digital Divide on Students in Rural and Remote Areas of Assam
385. Md. Rakibul Hussain:
Shri Amarsing Tisso:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) the status of internet connectivity in schools of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao district in
the State of Assam along with the implementation status of digital education initiatives in
these hilly districts;
(b) whether the digital divide has also adversely affected students from rural, tea garden,
minority and economically weaker sections in Assam during online education and if so, the
details of the number of students who lacked access to digital devices and internet
connectivity;
(c) whether special provisions exist for providing digital devices to students from
economically weaker sections of above State and if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether the Government has assessed learning gaps caused by digital exclusion, if so, the
details of the steps taken to provide devices, connectivity or offline learning support; and
(e) the details of the measures taken by the Government to bridge the digital divide affecting
tribal students in remote areas of the said State including students from rural, tea garden,
minority and economically weaker sections?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)
(a) to (e): The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) announced on 29.07.2020 is the
first education policy of the 21st century and aims to address the many growing
developmental imperatives of our country. The Policy proposes the revision and revamping
of all aspects of the education structure, including its regulation and governance, to create a
new system that is aligned with the aspirational goals of 21st century education, including
SDG-4, while building upon India’s traditions and value systems. Education is part of the
Concurrent List of the Constitution and most of the Government schools are under the
administration of the State Government and its bodies. The Ministry of Education
implements ICT and Digital initiatives under Samagra Shiksha and digital learning in
Government schools across the country, including rural areas. The initiatives aim to enhance
the quality of education by integrating technology into teaching and learning processes.
Under the initiatives, funds are provided for setting up ICT Labs and Smart Classrooms
according to the requirements of the State submitted in the Annual Work Plan & Budget
(AWP&B). The ICT scheme offers two options:
1. Option I: Schools without prior ICT facilities can choose ICT labs or smart classrooms.
Schools with over 700 students may get an additional ICT lab. States/UTs can procurehardware, software, tablets, laptops, and training resources, supporting digital boards, virtual
classrooms, and DTH channels.
2. Option II: Schools with existing ICT facilities can access smart classrooms or tablets under
the scheme norms.
A comprehensive initiative called PM eVidya was initiated as part of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat
Abhiyaan’ on 17th May, 2020, which unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air
education to enable multi-mode access to education across the country under the aegis of
National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. States/Union Territories (UTs) collaborate with
NCERT to utilise, monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of these initiatives as per their
requirements in mother tongue/local/regional languages. PM eVidya includes 200 DTH TV
Channels allotted to States/UTs/Autonomous Bodies (ABs)/Other Ministries in Government
of India and 400 Radio channels, including PM eVidya PM mobile app, to enable them to
provide supplementary education as per their requirement in various Indian languages for
classes 1-12. The State of Assam has been allotted 5 channels (DD PM eVIDYA 58 to 62),
disseminating 3,300+ video contents equaling 670+ hours.
Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) is the Nation’s One Nation, One
Digital platform for providing quality e-content for school education in States/UTs along with
QR coded Energised Textbooks (ETBs) for all grades. Assam as a tenant in DIKSHA, has
3.49 lakh registered users, 7.82 crore learning sessions and 74.69 crore learning minutes.
Additionally, Assam hosts 472 digital textbooks and 11,000+ e-content. The total number of
course enrolments from Assam stands at 16.62 lakhs, with 13.23 lakh completions till 22nd
January 2026. DIKSHA Offline supports areas with limited or no internet connectivity. The
stakeholders have access to more than 450+ Virtual Labs and 100 Virtual skill labs (50 each
in Hindi and English) on DIKSHA.
In Assam, digital education facilities, devices and infrastructure have been provided across
the State in a phased and inclusive manner, covering rural, urban, tea garden and minority
areas without any discrimination. At present, out of 10,783 Upper Primary, Secondary and
Senior Secondary Schools, 10,099 schools are covered under various digital initiatives. In
Karbi Anglong district, out of 266 Upper Primary, Secondary and Senior Secondary schools,
243 schools are provided with internet connectivity, 181 schools are saturated with Smart
Classrooms and all 10 Secondary and Senior Secondary schools are saturated with Computer
Labs. In Dima Hasao district, out of 188 Upper Primary, Secondary and Senior Secondary
schools, 91 schools have internet connectivity, 71 schools are saturated with Smart
Classrooms and all 5 Secondary and Senior Secondary schools are saturated with Computer
Labs.
To assess performance, the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 (formerly National
Achievement Survey) was undertaken by the National Assessment Centre-PARAKH,
NCERT under the aegis of the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of
Education to understand the baseline performance in development of competencies among
the students at the end of the Foundational, Preparatory, and Middle stages (Grades 3, 6, and
9 respectively) of schooling.
Insights from the Sarvekshan with regards to the State of Assam may be accessed at
https://dashboard.parakh.ncert.gov.in/en/dashboard/IND18?tab=foundation.
The Government of India, in the Budget 2025, has announced provision of broadband
connectivity to all Government Secondary schools in rural areas, under the ‘BharatNet’
project to enhance digital infrastructure in remote areas by BSNL in a phased manner.
Based on feasibility, BSNL has identified 415 schools that are less than 500m from Optical
Line Terminal (OLT) which are eligible in Phase-1 for high-speed internet connectivity in the
State of Assam.
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