Riding on the digital wave of small businesses going online, Google said it would support the small and medium entrepreneurs to go digital, for which a training programme is underway in the country.
According to data from a research study, Google’s senior representatives said the Internet giant already has 80 lakh SMEs in India on board. However, nearly 68 % of small and medium businesses are offline. Even if 48 % of the 51 million SMBs come online, this could significantly help increase the GDP. The research highlighted that a lack of understanding the benefits of digital technology and the technical skills required was the main hurdle for entrepreneurs to remain offline.
To get more such businesses online, Google said it is conducting an online-cum-offline training initiative across the country. The offline initiative will be done through 5,000 workshops over the next three years. The first of these training workshops was kicked off in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
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Google also informed that it would soon launch its My Business website later this year that would help SMBs to take their enterprise online. About one lakh businesses have been enrolled in the pilot programme of the website. Around 8,000 are from Telangana.
Telangana IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, who spoke at the event, detailed efforts of the State government, including treating small and medium business experiencing industrial sickness. He said support either in terms of policy or a dose of working capital will be provided through Industrial Health Centers which the government plans to roll out next year.