Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) said that it will work closely with the government and the industry to create digitally-enabled 10 million microentrepreneurs by 2024.
To achieve this, IAMAI will facilitate policy suggestions within the Microentrepreneur Digital Resilience and Maturity (DReaM) Program framework, it said in a statement.
IAMAI recently released its report on “Creating 10 million Digitally Enabled Microentrepreneurs” at the 16th India Digital Summit held on 11 and 12 January.
The IAMAI report discusses how digital platforms have helped microentrepreneurs increase their market access, standardize operations, improve access to formal credit, reduce cost and improve competitiveness.
Framed code of conduct for the Edtech sector
The association recently announced the formation of the India EdTech Consortium (IEC) that includes leading edtech companies such as Byju’s, Simplilearn, Unacademy, upGrad, Vedantu and others.
Aligned with the government’s recent advisory, the IEC will ensure that every learner shall have access to quality and affordable education, which not only improves their academic performance but also makes them future-ready, a statement said.
“IAMAI and members of the IEC are deeply committed to ensuring ethical standards to protect learners on online educational platforms. IEC seeks to empower the learners by not just helping them make informed decisions but by also having their grievances redressed timely,” IAMAI President Subho Ray said.
DReaM program will create a viral growth path for individuals
The program framework DReaM includes policy suggestions, ideas, and initiatives that will accelerate
the development of 10 million digitally enabled microentrepreneurs, the company said.
The objective of the DReaM program is to create a viral growth path for individuals, by linking them with an ecosystem of digital platforms.
More than 50 million microentrepreneurs are individuals or Own Account Enterprises (OAEs) which employ over 65 million people. It forms a major portion of the informal sector in India, as per the IAMAI report.
The report shows that digital platforms have helped in unlocking up to 30 per cent more value for microentrepreneurs by helping overcome common challenges such as market access, cash flows and skill development.
Microentrepreneurs associated with digital platforms were more resilient to the negative impact of the Covid -19 pandemic than others, as platforms took various initiatives during shutdown to support small businesses, the report said.
