Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday launched the NIELIT Digital University (NDU), a platform aimed at democratizing access to high-quality digital education in emerging technologies.
The platform, inaugurated at a national event in New Delhi, is designed to offer industry-aligned programmes in key areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Semiconductors, and allied fields. With flexible digital learning modes and virtual labs, the initiative seeks to equip youth across the country with future-ready skills.
During the launch, the Minister also virtually inaugurated five new NIELIT centres located at 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. These new centres are expected to enhance the accessibility of technical education, particularly in underserved and remote areas.
The event also witnessed the exchange of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between NIELIT and leading industry players including Microsoft, Zscaler, the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN), Dixon Technologies, and Future Crime. The Minister underlined the importance of these partnerships, noting that industry collaboration is essential to align curriculum with real-world needs. He said NIELIT must engage with the top 500 companies across sectors and adopt a learner-centric model with the motto, “You Decide What to Teach.”
Highlighting the role of the digital university, Vaishnaw said the institution should emulate models like Gati Shakti University in the transport sector, becoming deeply integrated with industry demands. He said the electronics manufacturing sector alone had grown to ₹13 lakh crore and there was immense scope for NIELIT to contribute to workforce development in this domain.
The event was attended virtually by Members of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies representing regions where the new centres were launched. Participants included Pratap Chandra Sarangi from Balasore, Maddila Gurumoorthy from Tirupati, Umesh Bhai Patel from Daman, T. Lalhlimpuia from Lunglei West, and Vijendra Choudhary and Kedar Prasad Gupta from Muzaffarpur. Over 1,500 participants joined the national event, including students, academicians, and technology professionals.
The programme also featured a panel discussion on the role of Artificial Intelligence in the digitalization of education. Experts from leading technology companies and academic institutions, including Intel, Infosys, Microsoft, and Barco Electronics, shared insights on aligning skilling initiatives with evolving industry trends and improving pathways to employment for Indian youth.
The NIELIT Digital University platform, available at ndu.digital, aims to create an inclusive, affordable, and employment-oriented learning ecosystem. It offers NCVET-approved and NSQF-aligned courses, integrated with the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC), and includes multilingual content, verifiable digital certifications, and AI-powered learning tools such as career mentors and interview simulators. The platform aims to reach 40 lakh learners by 2030.
NIELIT, an autonomous scientific society under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has been at the forefront of skilling and digital empowerment. With 56 centres, over 750 accredited institutes, and more than 9,000 facilitation centres across the country, it has certified millions of students in emerging areas of electronics and information technology.
The institute has recently been granted the status of “Deemed to be University” under a distinct category by the Ministry of Education. With its main campus in Ropar (Punjab) and eleven constituent campuses spread across cities including Aizawl, Agartala, Aurangabad, Calicut, Gorakhpur, Imphal, Itanagar, Ajmer (Kekri), Kohima, Patna, and Srinagar, NIELIT is poised to transform higher education in the electronics and ICT domain through digital innovation.