Press Release - Meta Uplifting Tribal Communities in India Through Digital Entrepreneurship
Introduces GOAL 2.0 in collaboration with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to digitally skill tribal youth
Empowerment of 10 lakh women and youth from tribal communities- leveraging digital technology
New Delhi, 29 th June 2022: Inspired by the rich culture and talent represented by the tribal and indiginous communities of India, we are extending our collaboration with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to launch the second phase of the Going Online As Leaders (GOAL) program. GOAL 2.0 will look to digitally upskill, connect and empower 10 lakh youth and women from the tribal communities of the country and will act as a bridge for the socially marginalized youth with a vast canvas of opportunities using technology that they otherwise may not have access to. The event was attended by:
Sh. Arjun Munda Ji, Hon’ble Union Cabinet Minister for Tribal Affairs
Sh. Anil Kumar Jha ji, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Shri S N Tripathi ji, DG, IIPA
Dr.Navalljit Kapoor ji, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Youth and entrepreneurs from tribal communities from across the country.
Smt. Renuka Singh Saruta, Hon'ble Minister of State, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Shri Bishweswar Tudu, Hon'ble Minister of State, Ministry of Tribal Affairs have also strongly supported the program. Through this program, the identified GOAL participants will have access to Meta Business Coach - a WhatsApp based learning bot - that will give the participants an opportunity to learn skills on how to build and grow their business using Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. To empower
the participants to play an active role in the digital economy, the program will also include Facebook Live sessions in 9 languages by master trainers on topics like Anti Scamming education, staying safe online, how to combat misinformation and being a good digital citizen. Sh. Arjun Munda, Hon’ble Minister of Tribal Affairs launched the second phase of the Going
Online As Leaders (GOAL) program, which is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Meta. GOAL 2.0 initiative aims to digitally upskill 10 lakh youth, primarily focusing on promoting entrepreneurship amongst women from tribal communities of the country and opening up opportunities for them using digital technology.
Speaking on the occasion, Sh. Munda said, “Honorable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has always spoken about bridging the digital divide. Digitally empowering India’s tribal communities would contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of the country and an important step towards creating a flourishing community of tribal leaders. The first phase of GOAL has seen changing the lives of tribal youth through the digital mentorship program. In the second phase, we will reach out to 10 lakh women and youth entrepreneurs and will also create a platform for more than 50,000 self-help groups and 10 lakh families associated with TRIFED to take their products global.”
Sharing his views on the importance of digital empowerment for the tribal communities, Ajit Mohan, Vice President & Managing Director, Facebook India (Meta) said, “India’s massive digital transformation can be complete when even the most vulnerable communities of our society are digitally empowered. We are deeply inspired by the stories of some of the Tribal
leaders who benefitted from the first phase of GOAL that we kicked off in 2020. We recognize the wide canvas of opportunity that gets unlocked when these tribal communities have access to digital tools & technologies and that is why we are excited to launch the next phase of this program. In collaboration with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GOAL 2.0 will upskill and empower 10 lakh women and youth across tribal communities to harness the full potential of digital platforms and tools.”
Speaking on the occasion Sh. Anil Jha, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs said, “Through the GOAL program, women and youth in tribal areas have been able to showcase their culture and art through social platforms like Facebook. Goal 2.0 will further enable lakhs of tribal women and young people to gain from the program. The programme is aimed at empowering tribal youth and women to harness the full potential of digital platforms and enhancing their leadership skills for driving community development.”
Smt. Renuka Singh Saruta, Hon'ble Minister of State, Ministry of Tribal Affairs said, “We’ve seen some stellar examples of success from the pilot phase of GOAL that was kicked off in 2020. The ability of this program to uplift and empower the women from our tribal and indigenous communities is deeply inspiring. These women today have access to the same digital tools and opportunities as some of the large businesses in the country. We wish them success and encourage more women to come forward and be a part of the program in the second phase.” Shri Bishweswar Tudu, Hon'ble Minister of State, Ministry of Tribal Affairs said, “I am delighted that we are expanding the scale of this program to include 10 lakh women and youth.
Under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi, we have been focussed on empowering our youth to further the economic growth and prosperity of our country. This program is a significant step in that direction.”
Tribal population constitutes about 8.6% of the total population in India. Digitally empowering India’s tribal communities could contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of the country and an important step towards creating a flourishing community of tribal leaders. The first phase of GOAL included inspiring, connecting and upskilling tribal youth from across
the country. As a result of GOAL, 75% of the participants from the tribal community admitted to being able to better articulate their thoughts to words and saw an improvement in their
interpersonal skills. About 69% were able to leverage Digital Commerce for increased reach and about 63% said that it helped them understand how to set up their business.
The programme is aimed at empowering youth and women from tribal and indigenous communities to harness the full potential of digital platforms and enhancing their leadership skills for driving community development. Along with digital inclusion the program aims to actively contribute to the economy by continuing to support the most vulnerable communities
in tribal districts with a focus on tribal youth and on businesses led by tribal women in rural areas.
About Meta Platforms Inc.
Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology.
*****