BIHAR-GOV-012

Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) in Bihar

A national rural digital-literacy scheme (one person per household), approved in February 2017 and delivered through CSCs. It concluded on 31 March 2024; Parliament answers report more than 74 lakh beneficiaries certified from Bihar.

SkillingVerified outcome

Good to know: The scheme ended on 31 March 2024. The figures are final results reported to Parliament, so no new delivery is happening.

Reported figures (6)

Each figure is marked as an official statistic, a government claim or a target

Measure	Figure	As of	Type	Source
Beneficiaries certified from Bihar (final, scheme concluded)	74,00,000 persons (more than)	30 Jul 2025	Official statistic	Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 1741
CSCs registered as PMGDISHA training centres in Bihar	16,173 centres	30 Jul 2025	Official statistic	Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 1741
Candidates targeted in Bihar (never reached) Against an overall fund requirement of Rs 259.83 crore. Bihar's certified count at conclusion was below this figure.	66,30,000 persons	11 Dec 2019	Target, not a result	Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 3905
Candidates enrolled in Bihar (interim)	73,36,490 persons	10 Feb 2023	Official statistic	Rajya Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 1055
Candidates trained in Bihar (interim)	65,13,564 persons	10 Feb 2023	Official statistic	Rajya Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 1055
Candidates certified in Bihar (interim)	47,66,430 persons	10 Feb 2023	Official statistic	Rajya Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 1055

How it unfolded (5)

Each step as a dated source records it, oldest first

Feb 2017Programme initiated
The scheme was approved.
Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 4313
13 Jul 2018Operational
Bihar had 8,61,187 candidates registered, 8,59,658 trained and 4,57,974 certified.
Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 222
24 Nov 2021Operational
Bihar had 57,13,248 registered, 50,05,225 trained and 36,52,652 certified.
Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Starred Q. 41
10 Feb 2023Operational
Bihar had 73,36,490 registered, 65,13,564 trained and 47,66,430 certified.
Rajya Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 1055
31 Mar 2024Verified outcome
The scheme concluded, with more than 74 lakh Bihar beneficiaries reported against 6.39 crore nationally.
Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 1741 · Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 4313

What's confirmed

6 sourced facts

The scheme concluded on 31 March 2024, with 6.39 crore individuals trained nationally (Lok Sabha, 18 March 2026).
More than 74 lakh of the national beneficiaries are from Bihar, and 16,173 CSCs were registered as training centres in Bihar (Lok Sabha, 30 July 2025).
Interim state-wise data as of February 2023: Bihar had 73,36,490 enrolled, 65,13,564 trained and 47,66,430 certified.
The scheme was approved in February 2017.
Bihar's registered, trained and certified counts at four dates: 8,61,187 / 8,59,658 / 4,57,974 (13 July 2018); 57,13,248 / 50,05,225 / 36,52,652 (24 November 2021); 73,36,490 / 65,13,564 / 47,66,430 (10 February 2023); and about 74 lakh beneficiaries at conclusion.
Bihar's target under the scheme was 66,30,000 candidates against an overall fund requirement of Rs 259.83 crore (Lok Sabha, 11 December 2019). This was a target, and the certified count never reached it.

Still to be confirmed

4 open questions

The two Parliament answers use 'certified' (July 2025) and 'trained' (March 2026) for the same national 6.39 crore figure. Bihar's 74 lakh may be trained or certified.
The status vocabulary has no 'concluded' value. The scheme is closed, so no new delivery is happening.
Any measure of lasting digital-literacy outcomes.
Bihar's training-centre count is reported on conflicting bases: 3,442 PMGDISHA-approved centres plus 5,244 CSC VLE centres (July 2018), 7,784 operational (December 2021), 36,056 operational at gram panchayat level (March 2023) and 16,173 CSCs registered as training centres (July 2025). The 36,056 and 16,173 figures cannot both describe the same thing and no source reconciles them.

Sources (7)

Who reported it, when, and what they cover

Publisher	Published	Covers	Link
Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 1741 Parliament	30 Jul 2025	• 74 lakh+ beneficiaries from Bihar • 16,173 training CSCs in Bihar	Open source (opens in a new tab)
Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 4313 Parliament	18 Mar 2026	• Scheme concluded 31.03.2024 • 6.39 crore trained nationally	Open source (opens in a new tab)
Rajya Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 1055 Parliament	10 Feb 2023	• Approved February 2017 • Bihar enrolled/trained/certified as of Feb 2023	Open source (opens in a new tab)
Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 222 Parliament	18 Jul 2018	• Bihar as on 13 July 2018: 8,61,187 registered, 8,59,658 trained, 4,57,974 certified • 3,442 PMGDISHA-approved centres plus 5,244 CSC VLE centres in Bihar	No public link
Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Starred Q. 41 Parliament	1 Dec 2021	• Bihar as on 24 November 2021: 57,13,248 registered, 50,05,225 trained, 36,52,652 certified • National impact assessments by IIT Delhi (2019) and IIPA (FY2020-21)	No public link
Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 3905 Parliament	11 Dec 2019	• Bihar target 66,30,000 candidates • Overall fund requirement Rs 259.83 crore	No public link
Lok Sabha (Ministry of Electronics and IT), Unstarred Q. 3520 Parliament	22 Mar 2023	• Bihar gender split as on March 2023: female 43,48,860 registered and 30,31,897 certified; male 31,34,268 and 18,36,204; transgender 12 and 7 • 36,056 centres operational at gram panchayat level in Bihar as on 16 March 2023	No public link