Kerala to achieve e-literacy by 2007

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 25 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Saturday said that the state would become 100 percent e-literate by the end of 2007 with at least one member of every household having learnt basic computer applications.

Chandy also announced the appointment of popular Malayalam film star Mammootty as the goodwill ambassador for the state government's IT project, "Akshaya".

The announcement was made through a live e-conferencing event in which Chandy participated from here while Mammootty did so from Kochi. All the other 13 district headquarters of the state were also connected in the e-conference.

"We began the Akshaya project in Malappuram in 2003 and close to 585,000 people have now become e-literate in the district.

"In the second phase, seven districts would complete the programme by the end of this year. By the end of 2007, the remaining six districts would complete the project making Kerala 100 percent e-literate," said Chandy.

Mammootty said that he supported the project, and he had not accepted any monetary benefits for the ambassadorship.

"I am doing it only out of my social obligation. I want the benefits of IT to go down to the grassroots," said the actor.

Chandy said a total of 6.4 million people would be made e-literate in the state under the programme.