Bhubaneswar: With an aim to create access to digital literacy in every household of the state, Odisha Knowledge Corporation Limited (OKCL) on Saturday announced plan to enhance its reach to village panchayat level and teach Artificial Intelligence (AI) to more than five lakh learners annually.
The vision was shared at the Annual Network Meet 2026 of OKCL, functioning under the Electronics & Information Technology Department, held in Bhubaneswar.
Electronic and IT Minister Mukesh Mahaling attended the meet as chief guest. He addressed the gathering showcasing their visionary roadmap for making Odisha as a complete digitally literate state.
He formally inaugurated two flagship programmes of OKCL — “Odisha State – Advance Certificate in Information Technology (OS-ACIT)” Program and the OKCL Internship Portal. These initiatives are set to serve as a guiding force, opening new avenues and opportunities for the youth of Odisha in the times ahead.
The programme was inaugurated by Special Guest, Pradeep Kumar Raut, Chief Executive Officer of Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) and Special Secretary, Electronics & Information Technology Department. Raut highly appreciated the collective efforts of all stakeholders for OKCL’s impactful performance during the calendar year 2025. He expressed confidence that under the strong leadership and guidance of Manoranjan Puthal, OKCL would scale
new heights of success in the current year. On this occasion, Raut also felicitated centres that demonstrated outstanding performance in 2025. A video highlighting the successful journey of OKCL was unveiled at the auspicious hands of the CEO of OCAC.
he programme was also graced by Special guest, Suman Pattnaik from the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, who delivered an inspiring and motivational address encouraging all members associated with the OKCL network.
Manoranjan Puthal, Managing Director of OKCL attributed the corporation’s success to the dedicated efforts of the grassroots-level 850+ Authorised Learning Centres present all across the State. He informed that OKCL has set a vision as much to be able to create access to digital literacy in every household of Odisha.
For this, OKCL is set to enhance its reach to village panchayat level creating more than 2,500 centres by 2030 and providing digital literacy with Artificial Intelligence to more than 5 lakh learners annually. He also announced that keeping in view the Prime Minister’s call for “AI for All” and “AI for Good,” OKCL announced this year’s pledge: “OS-CIT in Every Home – Artificial Intelligence for Everyone, Artificial Intelligence in Every Work.”
The high – performing District Lead Co-ordinators and Authorised Learning Centres of OKCL were also awarded for their performances throughout the year 2025.
The programme was also attended by Atul Patodi, Network Head of Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited (MKCL). During the programme, special presentations were made on the enhanced version of OKCL’s flagship OS-CIT programme, e-School initiatives, and the new Technology initiatives, including highlights on the upcoming initiatives planned by OKCL.