German software giant SAP and leading co-operative dairy brand Amul have announced a joint community outreach, focused on knowledge transfer and technology capacity building that will transform lives of 1.5 million Indians, comprising children, adolescents, youth, women, and farmers. 

The initiative is designed to focus on social entrepreneurship, enablement of skilled workforce, digital inclusion, and bridging the gender equality gap for the community.

To drive literacy and inclusion at the grassroots, SAP and Amul have collaboratively created a digitally inclusive ecosystem that will deliver technical education and professional support in the areas of coding, English skills, and socio-economic opportunities.

Key pillars of the initiative include:

• Coding and 21st century skills: To power India's 5 trillion-dollar economy, there is need to develop digitally savvy communities. This will be done by imparting digital literacy, coding, problem solving and English skills for citizens in remote villages, thus enabling adoption of New Education Policy imperatives.
• School to workforce transition: Will build a STEM-focused learning environment to help students in marginalised regions make a smoother transition to the workforce and enhance job opportunities. It will also reduce school dropouts, improve learning, and create an employable talent pool by encouraging critical reasoning and analytical thinking.
• Women empowerment and entrepreneurship:  Over 20,000 young women will be taught in digital-financing skills and functional communications as part of "Employable 21st Century Skills," with the goal of strengthening support for the social business sector and achieving gender equality.
• Support farmer livelihoods: The outreach will help scale community ownership and participation under Build, Operate, Transfer Model of sustainable development. By planting fruit-bearing saplings, the companies will help improve biodiversity, reduce soil erosion, and increase green cover, thus enhancing support to the livelihood of farmers and their families.

“Over 66% of India's population lives in rural areas. Most of the rural population lives in India depends on agriculture, animal husbandry and dairying for their livelihood. Over the years, we have observed that various Government has tried their best to give them better access to education, transportation, financial services, and internet connectivity. With an objective of inclusive and sustainable community development, Amul and SAP has joined for the project. Under the project, quality digital literacy and skill interventions training imparted to school going children ate teachers,” said RS Sodhi, managing director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, Ltd, (Amul) said.

Sodhi added that the collaboration with SAP is a step forward in bringing these rural communities into mainstream by empowering them to hone essential future skills and turn their dreams into a reality. “Our hope is that it will go a long way in nation building and creating an Atmanirbhar India.”

“Technology can act as a catalyst in shaping India’s journey to an inclusive and sustainable economy. While urban development projects such as smart cities and futuristic mobility are reflective of this potential, true progress of India lies in the development of her villages. Our work with Amul is an expansion of this vision and will provide citizens with the information and tools they need to succeed.  As India continues to lead global action on sustainability, collaboration like ours will also provide the critical foundation for an inclusive and resilient future in which no one is left behind,” said Kulmeet Bawa, President, and Managing Director, SAP Indian Subcontinent.

Pratham Infotech Foundation, an NGO organisation that works to close the digital divide in India, will lead Amul and SAP India's collaborative outreach.