India’s Yashoda AI program trains 2,500 rural women in digital skills

India’s National Commission for Women has trained 2,500 women from rural and semi-urban areas through its Yashoda AI program, an artificial intelligence literacy initiative aimed at enhancing digital inclusion. The program targets women from diverse backgrounds including self-help group members, elected officials, healthcare workers, and entrepreneurs to build AI literacy skills in cybersecurity, digital privacy, and safe online practices.

What you should know: The Yashoda AI program represents a significant government effort to bridge the digital divide for women in underserved communities.

• Participants include members of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), local elected representatives such as sarpanchs, pradhans, parshads, mayors, MLAs, ASHA workers (community health volunteers), micro-entrepreneurs, faculty and students, police officers, and government officials.
• The training focuses on equipping women with AI literacy to enhance their understanding of cybersecurity, digital privacy, and safe online practices.
• Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur shared these details in the Rajya Sabha (India’s upper house of parliament) on Wednesday.

Broader government initiatives: The Ministry of Women and Child Development has implemented several digital tools to support women and children across India.

• The Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) processed 15,761 public grievances and disposed of 15,782 complaints over two years (August 2023 to July 2025).
• The Women Helpline (181) under Mission Shakti provides 24-hour toll-free support services, having assisted over 1.06 crore women nationwide since its inception.
• The Child Helpline (#1098) operates as a 24x7x365 service integrated with the Emergency Response Support System-112 (ERSS-112) and Women Helpline (181).

In plain English: A crore equals 10 million people, so the Women Helpline has helped over 10.6 million women across India.

Technology for nutrition tracking: The ministry has deployed advanced monitoring systems to ensure proper delivery of nutrition programs.

• The Poshan Tracker application, launched March 1, 2021, monitors all Anganwadi Centres (rural childcare centers), workers, and beneficiaries across defined indicators.
• A Facial Recognition System (FRS) has been implemented for Take-Home Ration distribution to ensure benefits reach only intended beneficiaries registered in Poshan Tracker.
• These systems strengthen accountability among field functionaries while empowering eligible beneficiaries to receive their rightful entitlements.