Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the Sanchar Saathi portal on May 16, 2023.
Sanchar Saathi is a portal launched by the Indian government to provide digital literacy training to people in rural areas. The portal aims to empower people with digital skills, enabling them to access government services and participate in the digital economy. The training will be provided through Common Service Centres (CSCs) located in rural areas, and will cover topics such as digital payments, online banking, and digital security.
While speaking at the launch, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the three reforms are being introduced today towards furthering PM’s vision:
- CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register) – for blocking stolen/lost mobiles.
- Know your mobile connections – to know mobile connections registered in your name.
- ASTR (Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition powered Solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification) – to identify fraudulent subscribers.
The Minister said that various frauds such as identity theft, forged KYC, banking frauds can take place by misusing mobile phones. This portal has been developed to prevent such frauds. He said user safety is also an important part of the draft Telecom bill.
By using Sanchar Saathi portal, more than 40 Lakh fraudulent connections have been identified and more than 36 Lakh such connections have been disconnected so far.
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw urged the users to visit the portal and avail the services.