Chhattisgarh: Youths in Maoist-hit Dantewada secure tech jobs through ‘NavGurukul’

STories of resiliency and aspiration feature changed the story in Maoist areas of Chhattisgarh as 50 underprivileged youths from Dantewada ar now placed in tech companies across the country after they received training in coding in local digital skilling residential programmes. The youths, who are mostly drop-outs and from the tribal community, learned basic coding under the Tribal Welfare Department of the state, which had launched a digital skilling residential programme called ‘NavGurukul’ on 1 August 2023. The residential facility offers a meticulously curated curriculum, addressing both technical competencies and holistic personal development, officials in the knowhow said. “The programme’s structured 18–24-month module adopts a blended learning model. Online modules on foundational and advanced technology topics, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, ReactJS, and artificial intelligence (AI), are seamlessly integrated with offline academic support. Additional training in English communication, teamwork, leadership, and professional readiness ensures holistic development,” Dantewada collector Kunal Dudhawat said. The collector said that at least 52 students have secured placements in reputable firms such as S&P Global (Hyderabad), MicroNXT (Bangalore), and DDSPLM (Gurugram). “Several students have been placed as AI and coding facilitators in government schools deep inside Maoist-affected villages, where they help rural students develop digital literacy and basic programming skills,” the collector said. He further said the students are also getting paid “decent money” during the intial phases of their jobs. “Job roles range from front-end developers to data analysts, with internship stipends between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000 per month,” he said. Beyond the corporate sector, he said, the district administration too has deployed graduates as AI and coding facilitators in government ‘Portacabins’ – mobile smart classrooms in remote areas. “These facilitators conduct coding sessions, deliver AI workshops, and mentor school students, fostering a new wave of digital literacy across Dantewada’s tribal belt,” he said. Swati Haldar, who is from Dantewada’s Bacheli, said opportunities were scarce even after she did her bachelor’s in commerce (B.Com). “NavGurukul became the turning point in my journey. Over the months, I learned programming languages like JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Python, and MariaDB. NavGurukul didn’t just give me technical knowledge; it empowered me with the confidence to dream bigger and the skills to achieve those dreams,” she said. Currently, there are 44 active students on campus and a new batch of 150 students is scheduled to begin in May 2025. “Most students come from economically weaker sections and tribal families. Many have joined from interior blocks and gram panchayats of Kuakonda and Katekalyan, driven by the desire to restart their education and create sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families,” said Jayant Nahata, the Zila Panchayat CEO of Dantewada. Another student Renuka Chakradhari said, “I come from a small village called Kuakonda in Dantewada. I studied science in school and always had a strong desire to learn and do something meaningful in life. But after completing my 12th, I had to sit at home because of financial problems. But NavGurukul changed everything. I learned many technical skills like Google Apps, React JS, Node JS, HTML, JavaScript, MongoDB, CSS, and API integration. Now I am placed as an AI Facilitator in Dantewada district.”