New Delhi: Google India has added Odisha for its ‘Internet Saathi’ programme that aims to improve digital literacy among women in rural areas.
Besides Odisha, Punjab has also been included for the programme, which was launched as a pilot project in 2015 along with Tata Trusts in order to empower rural women in India how to use the Internet.
In Odisha, the programme will cover over 16,000 villages. In Punjab, it will cover around 5,000 villages, Google said.
The programme has now reached 2.6 lakh villages in 20 states, the internet giant added.
In the four-year journey, 70,000 trained ‘Internet Saathis’ are using the Internet to drive positive change in their communities and have already benefited over 2.6 crore fellow women.
“It is remarkable to see the passion of women in rural India, who are learning about the Internet, not just for their own needs but for their families, kids and their communities,” said Neha Barjatya, Chief Internet Saathi, Google India.
In August 2017, Forbes reported that 17 million women in rural areas, across in 170,000 villages have benefited from the programme.