Internet Saathi Program

The Internet Saathi Program was launched in 2015 by Google India and Tata Trusts. The aim of this project is to facilitate digital literacy among the rural Indian women.

Until 2019, there were 18 Indian states which had been included under this program, but with the inclusion of Punjab and Odisha, the total count of states has reached 20. 

In this article, we shall discuss the significance of this initiative, its progress and the impact that it has left on the rural people, especially women. 

To get a detailed List of the Government Schemes in India, aspirants can visit the linked article. 

Internet Saathi Program PDF:-Download PDF Here

What is the Internet Saathi Program?

The Internet Saathi Program aims at bridging the online gender divide in India. This project was launched in 2015 to fill in the gender gap between men and women in rural areas in terms of accessibility and employment.

Tata Trusts and Google came together and encouraged women in the rural areas to learn the usage of Internet and other data enabled devices. These women were named ‘Internet Saathis’. 

• As per a study, until 2015, only 1 out of every 10 rural women had accessibility to internet
• This digital literacy program was launched based on ‘train the trainer’ model
• Each women was first taught how to use Internet and other related digital devices and then they could train more women around them and educate them
• As of April 2019, there are more than 81,500 Internet Saathis who have helped over 28 million women learn about the Internet across 289,000 villages
• Then to provide employment opportunities to the Internet Saathis, Tata Trusts and Google led Foundation for Rural Entrepreneurship Development (FREND), was given the job to connect with organisations and create economic development opportunities for rural people, especially women

Know more about Digital India, a scheme launched by the Indian government in 2015, at the linked article. 

Initially, the ratio between the number of men and women with Internet availability was 1:10, this had later improved as more and more females joined the program. 

With Tata Trusts and Google appointed FREND as a medium for employment generation and economic development of rural people, the sustainability for the Internet Saathi network expanded. 

Also, following this, many other projects were launched by various social and governmental organisations for the better future and livelihood of rural women. 

To know more about the various other programs initiated by the Government for the betterment of women in the country, candidates can check the List of Women Empowerment Schemes in India, at the linked article. 

After the inclusion of Punjab and Odisha, there are 20 Indian states which have been covered under the Internet Saathi Program. It had started off with Rajasthan as a pilot project. Based on its success and adaptability of people, the project was spread to other states as well.

Given below is the list of States which come under the Internet Saathi Program:

The project intends to spread to each and every part of the country and ensure that proper facilities and equal opportunities are created for the people of the country, irrespective of their gender. 

Learn more about the Economic Empowerment of Weaker Sections in India and the various initiatives taken by the Government regarding the same, at the linked article. 

Internet Saathi Program PDF:-Download PDF Here

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