- Why in news
- On 28 June 2026, PIB published a explainer on DIKSHA, the national digital school-education platform under PM e-Vidya, with usage figures as on 27 June 2026.
- What it is
- DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) is an open-source national platform for school education, run under the Ministry of Education's PM e-Vidya programme. It offers curriculum-linked content for K-12, including QR-coded energised textbooks and teacher training courses. States, UTs and boards use it and add content in their own languages.
- Parent programme
- DIKSHA is a key component of PM e-Vidya of the Ministry of Education, aimed at continuity of learning through online means.
- Launch and lead agency
- Launched in 2017, it is spearheaded by NCERT together with CIET.
- Architecture and validation
- It works on a federated architecture, so each participant uploads and manages its own content. CIET-NCERT periodically validates participant content.
- Languages
- The platform supports 135 languages: 128 Indian and seven foreign.
- Offline access
- Learners can download content in advance and use it without internet.
- Teacher training
- It supports teacher professional development through NISHTHA and state-specific modules.
Don’t confuse with DIKSHA vs SWAYAM: DIKSHA is for school education (K-12) and teachers. SWAYAM is the MOOC platform mainly for higher education.
Don’t confuse with NCERT vs CIET: NCERT leads DIKSHA; CIET is its constituent institute that validates content and handles ed-tech.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Gives school learners and teachers free, curriculum-linked content in many languages, helping reduce geographical and linguistic barriers.
- Supports NEP 2020 goals of mother-tongue learning, foundational literacy and teacher training.
Problems
- Daily active users (about 3 lakh) are small against 2.25 crore registered users, so engagement lags registration.
- Use depends on devices, connectivity and teacher readiness, which vary across states.
Way forward
- Raise daily use through teacher training and school integration, with more offline preloading.
- Use dashboard data to find learning gaps and improve content quality.
Put in your answer
Virtual labs: More than 614 virtual laboratories are available to promote critical thinking and creativity.
- 2020Mains GS1 · Q20How have digital initiatives in India contributed to the education system's functioning?
- 2022Mains GS4 · Q4Discuss ethical issues of online methods in education, especially for vulnerable sections.
- 2019Mains GS2 · Q8Identify factors hindering ICT projects and suggest measures for effective implementation.
- 2022Prelims Q31Which combination of digital platforms, including DIKSHA, is correct?
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting platform with standing facts (launched 2017, NCERT, CIET), but this is a backgrounder, not a fresh decision; schemes are 52 of 327 Prelims questions.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.