Google India to support 1 million women entrepreneurs in rural India

Google will support one million women entrepreneurs in rural India through the new platform Women Will in the form of community support, mentorship, and accelerator programme for women.

In addition, the tech major is also launching a $25 million grant under Google.org Global Impact Challenge for women and girls for non-profits and social enterprises in India and across the world.

Speaking at 2021’s first Google for India event on March 8, 2021 virtually, Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet Inc, said, “We will provide $25 million grants in non-profits and social enterprises that are doing important work."

The funds will be given to organisations in India and around the world that are working to advance women and girls' economic empowerment and create pathways to prosperity, he added.

On the new platform to nurture women entrepreneurship in rural India, Sapna Chadha, Senior Director Marketing, Google India & South East Asia, said that the Women Will platform will be available in English and Hindi, and is designed especially for women aspiring to explore entrepreneurship.

To begin with, the company will work with 2,000 Internet Saathis, a Google for India initiative in partnership with Tata Trusts, to help other women gain from this resource and start on their entrepreneurial journey.

Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts, said that taking technology to the rural environment has served well for many women and empowering them.

Jacquelline Fuller, President of Google.org, said the company is also committing $500,000 in funding to NASSCOM Foundation through our philanthropic arm, Google.org.

The idea is to reach 100,000 women agriculture workers with digital and financial literacy training in the six states of Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.  NASSCOM Foundation will also set up a helpline where women agriculture workers will be able to call and get further counselling on their entrepreneurship related queries, Fuller said.

Smriti Irani, Minister of Women & Child Development, Government of India, said initiatives like the support of a million women entrepreneurs will help the country grow and evolve into an inclusive society.

The company will also launch business pages on Google Pay where homepreneurs, the majority of them women, can create catalogues of their products and services without any additional cost. Women entrepreneurs will also be able to tag their enterprises as women-led on Google search and maps based on an opt-in feature on Google My Business.