Scrolls of Change: How Kerala Became India’s First Digitally Literate State

At 103, Karunakara Paniker has a nightly ritual. He lies in bed, Android phone in hand, scrolling through reels and news clips. Every so often, he calls his 78-year-old son Balan to laugh over a video or marvel at something new he has stumbled upon online. For decades, Paniker worked as an agricultural labourer, his days beginning before sunrise and ending only after the fields quieted. The pandemic years, when life was forced to be lived indoors, were especially hard on him.

But a few years after retirement, things changed for him after he learnt how to navigate the digital world. He now feels connected to the wider world, informed, and even entertained. What once seemed out of reach has become his window to the world—proof that digital literacy can transform lives at any age. Paniker lives in Pullampara, a remote village in Thiruvananthapuram that holds a unique distinction—it was the first panchayat in the country to achieve complete digital literacy. For him, the digital literacy mission launched in his village was more than just a campaign; it helped him to bridge the digital divide, and to engage with the younger generation on their own terms.

Pullampara’s leap into the digital era was no isolated success. Driven by the collective efforts of local leaders, government staff, and civil society groups, the model pioneered here went on to inspire an entire state. Today, that journey has come full circle, with Kerala being declared the first fully digitally literate state in the country.

Paniker’s story reflects the larger journey of his village and his state: of communities once left behind, now finding new ways to connect, learn, and thrive in the digital age.

“In a remote village like Pullampara, there is only one bank. And people, the majority of whom are MNREGA workers, have to travel from the remotest parts of the village to the Bank to find out if their wages have been credited into their accounts. They sometimes spend a day's wage to go to the bank to check the balance.”, says Sajana Sathar, Assistant Director, Local Self Government, who initiated the idea before the Panchayat authorities.

“When we decided to take up the challenge, we drew inspiration from our own experience during the total literacy movement,” says P. V. Rajesh, President of the Pullampara Panchayat. “But the hurdles this time were different—the patchy mobile network, the lack of access to smartphones among poor workers, and, above all, the hesitation of older people to step into the digital world.”  

To tackle these challenges, the Pullampara Panchayat first set up an expert core group and roped in a local start-up to conduct a detailed survey of the digital divide in the village. The results were revealing: 3,917 residents admitted they had no idea how to operate a smartphone.

That was the turning point. The Panchayat reached out to Kerala Technical University, which developed a structured training module tailored for beginners. But the real strength of the programme lay in its volunteers. Students from nearby colleges, along with members of Kudumbashree—the state’s successful women’s self-help collective—took it upon themselves to carry the mission forward.

They went door-to-door, persuading hesitant residents—especially the elderly—to give smartphones a try. For many, the idea of navigating screens and apps felt intimidating at first. “Some of them laughed and said they were too old to learn,” recalls a volunteer.

Connectivity posed another major hurdle. Several parts of Pullampara had poor mobile network coverage, making digital training difficult. The issue was brought to the attention of Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, who intervened with service providers and ensured the installation of an additional mobile tower. “That step proved crucial—without reliable connectivity, the mission would have remained incomplete,” Rajesh says.

"Convincing the elderly was the hardest part,” recalls Reetha, one of the volunteers. “When we first approached them, many would ask, ‘Why should we learn this when our children and grandchildren have phones?’ They felt it wasn’t meant for them. We had to patiently explain how digital skills could make life easier—like learning new recipes on YouTube or sending money through GPay without depending on anyone. Slowly, they began to see the value.”

Padmini, 65, was among those who initially resisted the idea of digital literacy. “I never thought it would be of any use for people like me at this age,” she admits. “But the students kept persuading me, and I finally agreed—though reluctantly—to give it a try. Once I began, I got interested, and soon I realised how much easier life became.” 

Today, she navigates the K-SMART application to access services from the Panchayat office, makes payments through GPay, watches news and films on her phone, and even connects with relatives through video calls. For her, like many others, what once seemed unnecessary has now become an essential part of daily life.

Of the 3,917 residents identified as digitally illiterate in Pullampara, 3,300 were successfully given training. The only exceptions were those who were bedridden and unable to participate. Those without smartphones were not left behind. They learnt using a relative’s device—or, in some cases, a volunteer’s phone. And once they grew confident in operating it, many went on to buy their own smartphones, pooling together their wages to make the purchase. For them, the device was no longer a luxury but a gateway to opportunity and connection.

Pullampara marked a milestone in 2022, when it was declared the first digitally literate panchayat in the country. Recognising the critical importance of the initiative, the Kerala government soon scaled it up through the The Digi-Kerala project offers a template for the rest of India, proving that with collective effort, the most daunting gaps in access and opportunity can be overcome. , launching a state-wide campaign for digital literacy.

The surveys were massive in scope—covering 1.5 crore people from 83.46 lakh families. Of them, 21.88 lakh were identified as digitally illiterate. Through systematic training and evaluation, 21.87 lakh people—an astounding 99.98 per cent—successfully completed the programme, paving the way for Kerala to be declared India’s first fully digitally literate state.

The core team from Pullampara first trained a select group of volunteers, who then went on to mentor and guide 2.57 lakh additional volunteers, enabling them to conduct surveys and provide digital literacy training across the state.

At 103, M.A. Abdulla Moulavi from Asamanoor Panchayat in Ernakulam district is as the oldest beneficiary of Kerala’s total digital literacy programme. With frail fingers, he carefully unlocks his son’s smartphone—sometimes to make a video call to his grandson, sometimes to watch religious programmes on YouTube.

After visiting him, Local Self-Government Minister M.B. Rajesh remarked that Moulavi embodies the real Kerala story—demonstrating that age is never a barrier to learning or adapting to change.

Kerala successfully implemented the Total Literacy Programme in 1991, making history as the country’s first fully literate state. Now, with the Digi-Kerala project, the state offers a template for the rest of India, proving that with collective effort, even the most daunting gaps in access and opportunity can be overcome.