Microsoft India, in partnership with the Indian Army, held a convocation ceremony to felicitate the Indian Army jawans from Rajputana Rifles Regiment who have completed their IT certification course.

The function was presided over by Brig. P.N.Verma, Deputy Director General Personnel Services (DDG PS), and Brig. Sukhdeep Sangwan, Commandant, Rajputana Rifles; and also attended by Col.Chandan, Director Personnel Services and Lokesh Mehra, Director - Education Advocacy, Microsoft India. The initiative is part of Project Kshamta, a program aimed at equipping jawans with in-demand skills that equip them with tools for a second career, post retirement. 20 jawans of the Rajputana Rifles Regiment received a certificate marking the successful completion of the basic module of 80 hours of IT Training.

The initiative is one of the numerous activities undertaken by the Indian Army to empower its soldiers, the primary aim being to enhance their capacity and competence. Till date, 2,200 master trainers have been trained as a part of Project Kshamta, and these master trainers have equipped over 15,000 more soldiers with a similar skill set. The program aims to impact a total of 1,00,000 jawans by 2015.

Brig. P.N. Verma, DDG PS, New Delhi said, "Every year, about 50,000 soldiers retire by the age of 40 and need to start a new career. We see them struggle due to their qualification status. Undergoing IT certification under Project Kshamta has been extremely beneficial for our jawans and their new levels of confidence are evident today."

Lokesh Mehra, Director, Education Advocacy, Microsoft India said, "Project Kshamta is an attempt by Microsoft India to creating a digitally inclusive society through innovative technologies. By equipping jawans with essential skills which enable them to get re-inducted into civilian workforce, the objective is to bridge the opportunity divide and further skill India towards economic growth."