Reliance Jio and the GSM Association on Tuesday announced the national rollout of their Digital Skills Program, a joint initiative by the two companies to equip India's rural women and individuals from marginalised communities with digital skills through training. The program comes under the GSMA's broader "Connected Women Commitment" initiative that works with mobile operators to break the barriers women face while accessing mobile internet and money services.
The Jio and GSMA teams have developed need-based digital skills toolkits prevalent to India and the gender gap, especially within rural areas. Its national rollout across 10 states will be supported by the Reliance Foundation and its large network that will get the toolkits into deeper, rural areas. The program aims to help rural women and individuals from marginalised and low-income groups make meaningful use of digital access, the companies said.
The toolkits were designed after extensive field research and user feedback, a press release said. The organisation took inputs from over 1,000 individuals in rural Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu during the trial and refinement phase of the toolkit.
The GSM Association is a global organisation working to unify the mobile ecosystem and increase connectivity across the world. Funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, the GSMA's toolkits aims to reduce the gender gap in mobile internet and money services.
Director of Reliance Jio Isha Ambani said that the company was proud to "be the wind beneath their wings" and partner with GSMA to take digital skills training to women across India.
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"Mobile technology has the power to empower women, making them feel more connected, independent, and secure, and providing them with access to important information that helps them in their daily lives," Isha Ambani added.
GSMA's director general Mats Granryd echoed Isha Ambani's statement on the potential of mobile technology to contribute to women's rights and their political, social and economic empowerment. He, however, added that more needs to be done to ensure that women were not being left behind in the increasingly connected world.
"We are excited to partner with Jio and Reliance Foundation to take the Digital Skills Program national and help accelerate digital inclusion for women," Granryd said.
After the national rollout across 10 states, Reliance Jio and Reliance Foundation will focus on scaling up the program.
Disclosure: RIL, the promoter of Reliance Jio, also controls Network18, the parent company of CNBCTV18.com.
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