Assessing the Impact of Digital Literacy Programs in Uttar Pradesh

This paper assesses the impact of digital literacy programs in Uttar Pradesh (UP), India with a primary focus on large-scale government initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA), complementary state-level activities, and selected NGO-led interventions. By using a rigorously designed mixed-methods evaluation framework, the study measures changes in beneficiaries’ digital competencies, usage behavior (e-governance uptake, digital financial transactions, online learning), and socio-economic outcomes over immediate (post-training) and medium-term (6 months) horizons. The paper documents contextual barriers (device access, connectivity, gender norms, and language and literacy constraints), examines heterogeneity of impacts across gender, education and rural–urban location, and offers programmatic and policy recommendations tailored to Uttar Pradesh demographic and infrastructural profile. The national PMGDISHA initiative reached unprecedented scale and used remote proctoring for assessments; impact evaluations have noted improvements in ICT adoption but also pointed to depth and sustainability challenges that are particularly relevant in UP’s heterogeneous districts. Drawing on secondary program data and a modeled empirical evaluation (illustrative quantitative estimates and integrated qualitative themes), the study concludes that digital literacy training substantially increases basic digital competencies and short-term use of digital services, but sustained socio-economic benefits require complementary measures device and data access, vernacular content, gender-responsive delivery, and post-training support.