The National Commission for Women organised its Yashoda AI, Women’s Path to AI Empowerment programme at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Jalandhar, Punjab on 18 August 2026, with Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar leading the drive. The programme is part of a nationwide campaign to build AI literacy, digital empowerment and cyber safety among women. It aims to help women use artificial intelligence confidently and safely while protecting themselves from online harms.
What Is Yashoda AI
Yashoda AI stands for Your AI SAKHI for Shaping Horizons with Digital Awareness. It is India’s first national level Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy movement focused only on women. AI literacy here means the ability to understand what AI is, how it works in daily life, what its benefits are, and what its risks are, including misuse.
The initiative was launched by the National Commission for Women (NCW) in collaboration with Future Shift Labs (FSL), a global think tank and innovation lab that works on ethical use of emerging technologies. The national launch took place on 22 May 2025 at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. The name Yashoda reflects the idea of a nurturing guide who helps others learn and stay safe, and SAKHI means a female friend who supports and advises.
The campaign aims to move women from being passive users of technology to becoming confident, informed digital citizens and community leaders. It focuses especially on women from rural and semi-urban areas, but its reach now includes students, professionals, homemakers and frontline workers. Its core goals are to build functional AI skills, strengthen cyber resilience or the ability to resist online threats, promote safe and ethical use of AI, and create a network of women digital leaders. The programme links directly with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and the policy emphasis on women-led development, where women are seen as drivers of growth rather than only beneficiaries.
Programme at Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar
The Jalandhar edition of Yashoda AI was held at Lovely Professional University (LPU) and brought together students, faculty members and young aspirants. LPU is a private university located in Phagwara, on the Jalandhar, Delhi Grand Trunk Road in Punjab. It was established under the Lovely Professional University Act, 2005 and started operations in 2006. The university is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and is accredited with NAAC A++ grade, with over 30,000 students on campus.
NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar addressed the gathering and led the empowerment drive. She was felicitated by Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal, Founder Chancellor of LPU and Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Col. Dr. Rashmi Mittal, Pro-Chancellor, and Dr. Jaspal Singh Sandhu, Vice Chancellor. Ram Avatar Singh, Deputy Director at NCW, was also present. Rahatkar described LPU as an institution that leaves a strong impression through its environment and outcomes and said the university’s direction aligns with an inclusive and technologically empowered India.
During her visit to Jalandhar, the Chairperson also chaired a review meeting with senior district administrative officials to assess issues related to women’s safety and protection, noting that women’s safety is a strong measure of good governance. She later inaugurated the She Serves programme at a women’s college in the city to encourage young women to explore careers in the Armed Forces.
Focus on AI Literacy, Cyber Safety and Legal Awareness
At LPU, Rahatkar urged students to use technology with awareness rather than blind dependence. She stressed that digital confidence must go hand in hand with privacy, ethics and informed decision making. She cautioned against misuse of AI through cyber harassment, deepfakes and manipulated digital content, and said that responsible technology use has become an essential life skill. Deepfakes are AI generated images, videos or audio that falsely show a person saying or doing something they never did, often used for harassment or fraud.
A major part of the session was devoted to legal awareness. Students were encouraged to learn about laws that protect women and children. These included the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, commonly called the POSH Act, which provides a mechanism to prevent and address sexual harassment at work, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, which protects children from sexual abuse, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, and cyber laws dealing with online abuse, image morphing and digital harassment. Rahatkar also highlighted support systems and key helpline numbers, including 181 for women helpline, 112 for emergency response, and 14490, the NCW helpline for counselling and complaint registration. She called on students to recognise online threats, protect personal data and report abuse quickly.
How Yashoda AI Is Structured and Delivered
Yashoda AI is designed as a multi-tiered, hands-on programme rather than a classroom lecture. It is implemented by Future Shift Labs for the NCW and delivered through interactive workshops, toolkits and community networks. Sessions are led by practitioners from AI, cybersecurity, law, education and social science, who use jargon-free stories and real-life examples in local languages.
The curriculum is role based and practical. Instead of teaching only basic computer use, it covers how to identify deepfakes, verify suspicious links, protect personal data, prevent financial fraud, and use AI tools for study, work and business. A key feature is the AI Sakhi Network, a peer support system where trained women continue to guide others after the workshop. In colleges, the Yashoda AI Squad Program helps students set up AI Squad Clubs that run awareness camps and promote ethical AI use. This creates a ripple effect where one trained group trains others.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Your AI SAKHI for Shaping Horizons with Digital Awareness |
| Launched | 22 May 2025, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh |
| Organised by | National Commission for Women, with Future Shift Labs |
| Tagline and goal | AI Literate Women for Developed India, empower more than 1 million women |
| Current reach | More than 5,500 women across 13 states and 29 cities as of mid 2026 |
| First phase | Pilot training of about 2,500 women in rural and semi-urban areas from May 2025 |
| Target groups | Students, homemakers, professionals, ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists), ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwives), Self-Help Group (SHG) members, sarpanchs, women police personnel |
| Core themes | AI basics, cyber safety, digital privacy, AI driven crimes, ethical use |
The initiative is delivered mainly through in-person workshops at partner universities and community centres. As of 2026, there is no open online registration portal, so access depends on physical attendance at partner institutions. Content is regularly updated based on participant feedback and new AI risks, including image morphing and financial scams.
Understanding the National Commission for Women
The National Commission for Women (NCW) is a statutory body set up to protect and promote women’s rights. It was established in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 (Act No. 20 of 1990) and is headquartered in New Delhi. The Act was passed on 30 August 1990 and came into force on 31 January 1992. The First Commission was constituted on 31 January 1992 under Chairperson Jayanti Patnaik.
The Commission reviews constitutional and legal safeguards for women, recommends legislative measures, helps in redressal of grievances, and advises the government on policy matters affecting women. It can take suo moto notice of cases involving deprivation of rights or violence against women and can look into individual complaints. It consists of a Chairperson, five Members and a Member Secretary.
The present Chairperson is Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar, who took charge on 22 October 2024 as the 9th Chairperson. She had earlier served as Chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women from 2016 to 2021, where she led initiatives such as Sakshama for acid attack survivors, Prajwala to link Self-Help Groups with central schemes, and Suhita, a 24x7 helpline for women. She also served as Mayor of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) from 2007 to 2010. The NCW operates helplines and systems such as the Women Helpline 181, a toll free 24-hour service linked to the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), 112, the pan-India emergency number, and the NCW Women Helpline 14490 for complaint registration and counselling.
Why Cyber Safety Training for Women Matters Now
India’s rapid digital expansion has increased online risks for women. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows a sharp rise in cybercrimes against women, with a 239 percent increase between 2017 and 2022 noted by the Committee on Empowerment of Women in its report of 23 March 2026 on Cyber Crimes and Cyber Safety of Women. The report also flagged a multi-fold rise in cases involving children. Common crimes include cyberstalking, sextortion, deepfakes, image morphing, online harassment and financial fraud.
Several gaps make women more vulnerable. Many women have limited knowledge of how to report online abuse, how to use the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or the helpline 1930, and how to protect personal data. Reporting is also held back by stigma and lack of awareness. At the same time, investigative capacity remains thin in many states, with shortages of skilled cyber investigators and forensic analysts. A study based on the National Sample Survey 79th Round (July 2022 to June 2023) found that only 15.7 percent of adults could perform basic digital security tasks, with rural women from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities showing the lowest levels.
Yashoda AI responds to this gap by teaching practical safety rather than theory alone. The training helps women recognise false content, secure accounts with strong passwords and multi factor authentication, manage privacy settings, avoid sharing intimate images online and preserve evidence such as screenshots for complaints. It also explains legal protections under the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which replaced the Indian Penal Code, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which sets rules for handling personal data and requires quick takedown of non-consensual content. By training ASHAs, ANMs, teachers and policewomen as Cyber Safety Ambassadors, the programme aims to create local support points where women can seek help without fear.
The Way Forward
The NCW has stated that Yashoda AI aims to reach more than 1 million women over time and expand the AI Sakhi Network and AI Squad Clubs across more campuses and districts. Scaling will require more partner universities, multilingual content, and stronger links with reporting systems such as the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, the Sahyog portal for takedown requests, and forensic labs under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
For the programme to have lasting impact, hands-on training must be paired with better enforcement and platform accountability. The Committee on Empowerment of Women has recommended mandatory training for investigators and prosecutors, special prosecution units for cybercrimes against women, AI driven detection tools for harmful content, and a victim centric standard operating procedure with a 24-hour timeline for initiating takedown requests. If these steps are carried out together, AI literacy can become a tool for inclusion, helping women use new technology for learning and livelihood while staying protected from its misuse.
Key Takeaways
- The Yashoda AI, Women’s Path to AI Empowerment programme was organised by the National Commission for Women at Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar on 18 August 2026, led by Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar.
- Yashoda AI stands for Your AI SAKHI for Shaping Horizons with Digital Awareness and was nationally launched on 22 May 2025 at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, with Future Shift Labs as the implementation partner.
- As of mid 2026, the campaign has trained more than 5,500 women across 13 states and 29 cities, with a long-term goal to reach more than 1 million women.
- The National Commission for Women is a statutory body established in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990, headquartered in New Delhi, and is currently led by its 9th Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar (since 22 October 2024).
- The programme integrates cyber safety, digital privacy and legal awareness, covering the POSH Act, 2013, the POCSO Act, 2012, the Domestic Violence Act, 2005, and key helplines 181, 112, 14490 and 1930 for cybercrime reporting.
