C-DAC Hyderabad and Reliance Foundation have launched e-SafeHER, a cybersecurity awareness training programme aimed at enabling one million women across rural India to participate safely and confidently in the digital ecosystem. The initiative is aligned with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) programme and focuses on last-mile digital safety for women using online platforms for payments, livelihoods and public services.
Programme Objective
e-SafeHER seeks to strengthen cyber awareness among rural women, especially those newly entering the digital space. The programme aims to build safe online habits, improve understanding of cyber risks and increase confidence in digital transactions. It also supports wider goals of women’s digital inclusion and empowerment.
Institutional Partnership
- C-DAC Hyderabad will develop, localise and update the cybersecurity training content under the ISEA framework.
- Reliance Foundation will support outreach through its grassroots network and women’s empowerment platforms.
- The initiative will be delivered through women’s Self-Help Groups and a peer-led community model.
- The collaboration combines technical expertise, policy support and field-level mobilisation.
Implementation Plan
The programme will begin with training of Cyber Sakhis in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. It will then expand in phases to cover one million women by 2029. The training will use multilingual content, audio-visual modules and blended learning methods to improve accessibility in rural areas. The model is designed to be integrated into existing digital literacy and women’s empowerment programmes, avoiding the need for parallel infrastructure.
Significance for Digital Security
The initiative is expected to improve cyber risk awareness, encourage safe digital practices and support secure use of financial and public digital services. It also aims to generate implementation insights for future scale-up and policy integration. By linking cybersecurity with women’s empowerment, e-SafeHER adds a new dimension to India’s digital inclusion efforts.
Last Modified: April 27, 2026