Mumbai: The internet inequality is a great concern in India, especially digital gender disparity in rural India.  Only 1 in 10 Internet users in rural India is a woman.  On this backdrop, Google and Tata Trusts in India launched the ‘Internet Saathi’ program in July 2015. ‘Internet Saathi’ campaign provides basic training on the usage and benefits of the internet to rural women and their communities, which in turn narrows the digital gender disparity in rural India.

Within 10 months of its launch, one lakh women across India have learned to use the internet under the ‘Internet Saathi’ program. Initially, this program has been active in villages across five states in India:  Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.  Now Google and Tata Trust has expanded the program to four more states: West Bengal, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura.

In a first step,  ‘Internet Saathi’ program focuses on training women in rural India on various uses of Internet, who then impart training to the larger rural community in their own and neighbouring villages. Google helps in training the Saathi’s and provides basics data enabled devices along with the training materials. On the ground, training classes are conducted by self-help group groups and local NGO members supported by Tata Trusts.

The program is on a mission to reach out 300,000 villages in India in next few years.