In keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a "New India", Google India and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) announced a set of initiatives aimed at empowering citizens and creating abundant opportunities for all.
The important areas covered under the initiative are digital payments and digital skills. The initiative aims to make e-payments more secure and impart more skills to students as well as developers. Aruna Sundarajan, MEITY Secretary, and Rajan Anandan, VP SouthEast Asia and India, Google made the announcement at an event in New Delhi.
Google believes that most of the Indian citizens use mobile to access the internet today and the country has the potential to become a leader in mobile app technology. In that direction, Google has announced its Android Skilling program and aims to train 2 million developers in the country. The initiative includes the development of a specially-designed instructor-led training program. The tech major will also extend the course to the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT). The institute will, in turn, train more than one lakh developers and students through its network of centres.
The partnership will ensure proliferating the Indic web, enhancing government’s online presence especially on mobile platforms to enable citizen engagement and training and capacity building programs on digital tools. Google wants to bring fast, high-quality Internet access to Indians, and also build products which perform even when there is low connectivity. Google also plans to increase internet usage amongst women in rural India and skills development for developers and SMBs.
The announcements were made by Aruna Sundarajan, Meity secretary, and Rajan Anandan, vice president SouthEast Asia and India, Google. Google India and Meity will support the launch of a ‘Digital Payments Security Alliance’ in collaboration with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI).
The Alliance will enable key initiatives to make security a foundation for the government’s digital and financial inclusion programmes.
The internet company will also extend its Digital Unlocked program (that was started earlier this year to impart training to SMBs), to train over 100,000 artisans per year across India.
Some key areas outlined as part of this initiative include enabling a safe and secure digital payments experience, imparting digital skills for artisans and Android skills training for students and developers.
Speaking at the event, Aruna Sundarajan, Secretary, MEITY said “The Ministry of Electronics and IT intends to give impetus to the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s recent call for a 'New India'. Collaboration with Google will be hugely beneficial in harnessing the capabilities of technology for the “India growth” story.”
As India moves to a less cash society through adoption of digital payments, Google India and MEITY will support the launch of a ‘Digital Payments Security Alliance’ in collaboration with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI).
“The Alliance will bring together several stakeholders from the ecosystem including Banks, Fintech Companies and Government. It will enable key initiatives to make security a foundation for India’s twin pronged Digital and Financial Inclusion Programs. A campaign to create community awareness on safe and secure practices, as users adopt digital/mobile payments, capacity building through appropriate Train the Trainer Programs for CSCs, Financial Inclusion Agencies, will be some of the key priorities,” said Rajan Anandan, VP, SouthEast Asia and India, Google.
