New Delhi/Patna: A new digital initiative aimed at expanding access to education, artificial intelligence skills and career opportunities for young Indians has gone live across the country.
Called YellowDots, the Talent Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has moved from pilot programmes in Ghaziabad and Visakhapatnam to an open national rollout. The platform brings together three free services focused on competitive-exam preparation, personalised AI learning and AI certification.
The initiative was launched on Gandhi Jayanti by a consortium comprising mySATHI Foundation, Career Launcher, FERMI and IIT Kharagpur, with EkStep Foundation guiding the project.
The launch follows the broader direction outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on August 15, 2026, calling for wider access to free online coaching through Digital Public Infrastructure and AI skilling for one crore young Indians within a year.
Three Free Services Under YellowDots
YellowDots brings three services together on a common digital platform, all available free of cost.
The first is free preparation for competitive examinations, with structured coaching from Career Launcher being made available to students without a fee.
The second is a personal AI tutor developed by IIT Kharagpur in collaboration with FERMI AI through the National Digital Library of India. The service is designed to provide one-to-one learning support and adapt to a student’s pace and level.
The third is an AI proficiency certificate designed and awarded by IIT Kharagpur. The credential is intended to provide students with a credible, job-oriented qualification in a field that is becoming increasingly important for employability.
Aim to Make Opportunities Less Dependent on Location
The broader objective of YellowDots is to use digital public infrastructure to make education, skills and opportunities easier to discover and access.
The platform is intended to connect young people looking for opportunities with organisations and institutions providing them, irrespective of where they live or whom they happen to know.
R. Subrahmanyam, Chairman of mySATHI Foundation and former Secretary, Higher Education, Government of India, said the initiative is aimed at making access to preparation and opportunities more equitable.
He said free access to coaching, an AI tutor and a credential could help students from different parts of the country begin with more equal access to learning opportunities.
YellowDots First Step Towards Wider Talent DPI
YellowDots is being positioned as the first step towards a broader Talent Digital Public Infrastructure.
The larger vision is to create open digital infrastructure through which education, skills and employment-related services can be made more accessible and discoverable.
Gaurav Gupta, Chief Growth Officer, EkStep Foundation, said the initiative seeks to address the gap between aspirations and opportunities by creating open digital rails for talent.
The rollout is being taken forward with district administrations and local elected representatives, with plans to expand the initiative district by district.
IIT Kharagpur AI Certificate Focuses on Employability
AI skills form an important part of the initiative as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly relevant across jobs and industries.
IIT Kharagpur has designed the AI proficiency certificate with an emphasis on academic rigour and recognition by employers.
Prof. Partha Pratim Chakrabarti of IIT Kharagpur said AI proficiency is increasingly becoming an important component of employability and that the certificate has been designed to remain accessible to students across districts.
Career Launcher Brings Three Decades of Coaching Experience
Career Launcher is contributing its experience in competitive-exam preparation to the platform.
Satya Narayanan R, Founder and Chairman of CL Educate, said the initiative provides an opportunity to bring decades of coaching experience to young people through open public digital infrastructure.
The platform is designed as a foundation on which additional education, skills and employment services can potentially be developed in the future.
Schools, Colleges and Organisations Can Access Services
The services are available free to every citizen.
Schools, colleges, universities, CSR programmes and non-profit organisations working in education, skills and employment can also use the services for their students and beneficiaries.
The consortium includes mySATHI Foundation, Career Launcher, IIT Kharagpur, Head Held High Foundation, the National Digital Library of India and a group of start-ups, with EkStep Foundation guiding and shaping the project.
Talent DPI Seeks to Expand Access to Learning and Careers
The launch of YellowDots marks an effort to use digital public infrastructure to reduce geographical and financial barriers to education and career development.
By combining free exam preparation, personalised AI learning support and an IIT Kharagpur-backed AI credential on a single platform, the initiative aims to give young Indians greater access to learning and employability opportunities.
