New Delhi, May 15 (IANS): Keeping in line with the government's thrust on the Digital India campaign, the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT) has set an ambitious target of training 55 lakh students in the next four to five years.

The NIELIT, a body under the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), wants to train students in information and communication technology (ICT), electronic system design and manufacturing and digital marketing courses, an official statement said.

Laying the foundation stone for the institute's headquarters at Dwarka here, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "A digital revolution has begun in the country. NIELIT will be the centre of digital empowerment in India by minimizing the digital divide through skill development and by providing basic digital literacy at a click of a button."

"NIELIT's efforts to start digital marketing courses is commendable as artisans, traders etc from all corners of the country should be digitally trained to take full benefits of the e-commerce revolution taking place in the country," he added.

A national toll-free helpline number for NIELIT students, ESDM portal and Digital Marketing Information booklet were also unveiled on the occasion.

The NIELIT has trained over 20 lakh students in the last two decades across 31 NIELIT centres besides a network of about 900 accredited training partners and nearly 6,000 facilitation centres.