New Delhi — Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the NIELIT Digital University platform on Thursday to widen access to online technical education, said a statement.
The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will offer courses in fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science and semiconductors.
Vaishnaw also inaugurated five new NIELIT Centres located in poll bound Muzaffarpur in Bihar, Balasore in Odisha, Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, Lunglei in Mizoram and Daman in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Industry collaboration agreements
During the launch, memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed between NIELIT and Microsoft, Zscaler, CCRYN, Dixon Technologies and Future Crime to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry.
Vaishnaw said NIELIT should work with India’s top 500 companies to align its courses with changing market needs. “You decide what to teach,” he said, calling for industry-driven learning programmes.
He said the government’s goal was to develop a digital university closely linked to employers, similar to Gati Shakti University in the transport sector.
Focus on skill development
Participating in the programme, Electronics and IT Secretary S. Krishnan said the platform would help bridge the gap between skills and employability. He added that NIELIT’s presence in remote regions allowed access to technical training where few institutions exist.
Krishnan said courses in electronics combined design and manufacturing, which could support India’s efforts to expand domestic electronics production.
Digital education features
Participants from Intel, Infosys, Microsoft and other organisations discussed aligning training programmes with industry trends and improving employability.
According to the ministry, the NIELIT Digital University will support national initiatives such as Digital India, the National Education Policy 2020 and Skill India. It offers credit-linked courses approved by the National Council for Vocational Education and Training and aligned with the National Skills Qualification Framework.
The platform provides multilingual learning, digital certificates and AI-based tools for mentoring and career planning. It aims to reach four million learners by 2030.
NIELIT operates 56 centres and more than 9,000 affiliated institutions across India. It has been granted “Deemed to be University” status by the Ministry of Education and plans to expand higher education in electronics and information technology through digital delivery.
