• Google India and Tata Trusts which jointly launched Internet Saathi initiative  aims to facilitate digital literacy among women in rural India, will be expanded to villages in Punjab and Odisha.
• The programme now reaches 2.6 lakh villages across 18 states and  two new states are added into this - Punjab and Odisha.
• In Punjab, the program will cover around 5,000 villages, like Paras Rampur, Kotli Than Singh, Burj, Vehra and from Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala districts.
• In Odisha, the program has been kicked off from Sindhia in Baleshwar, Parakana in Puri, Bhuinpur in Kendrapara, and will cover over 16,000 villages.

About Programme:

• This programme which was launched in July 2015 which so far trained 70,000 ‘Internet Saathis’, who have in turn impacted 2.6 crore million women in the country.
• Internet Saathi has contributed towards bridging the digital gender divide in rural India - female to male ratio was 1 in 10 in 2015 and in 2018, it has increased to 4 in 10.
• The programme started as a pilot in Rajasthan and has been expanded to states including Gujarat, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana,Tamil Nadu, Goa, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
• Internet Saathi program has shown us that with the right opportunities, there is no limit to what women can achieve. These women in rural India are learning about the Internet, not just for their own needs but for their families, kids and their communities.
• Some of the women trained under the programme have started their own micro-business like stitching, honeybee farming, and beauty parlours.
• There are also many who are driving awareness for issues like girl child education, menstrual hygiene and more within their communities.
• It is imperative that women in rural India are provided with adequate opportunities and knowledge for inclusive growth and societal progress.