At its ninth annual Google for India event in New Delhi on Thursday, Google announced a slew of new initiatives and partnerships aimed at making the internet more useful and inclusive for Indians across the country. These initiatives span a range of areas, including manufacturing Pixel smartphones in India, using AI to improve search and other products, expanding the reach of formal credit, and strengthening the safety of the Indian internet.
We shared plans at #GoogleforIndia to manufacture Pixel smartphones locally and expect the first devices to roll out in 2024. We’re committed to being a trusted partner in India’s digital growth- appreciate the support for Make In India @PMOIndia + MEIT Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw.
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) October 19, 2023
Manufacturing Pixel smartphones in India
Google announced that it will start manufacturing Pixel smartphones in India, starting with the Pixel 8. This move is part of Google’s Make in India initiative, which aims to promote local manufacturing and create jobs in India.
Making products even better through AI and local partnerships
Google will soon start surfacing AI-powered overviews for over 100 crucial government programs around employment, housing, healthcare, farming, and women’s welfare. Google is also working with local partners to make its products more relevant and useful for Indians.
Google is working with small businesses to help them show up better in Search results and create high-quality catalogs of their products.
Expanding the reach of formal credit in India
In partnership with financial ecosystem partners, Google announced that Google Pay users will now be able to easily find and make payments for pre-approved credit lines from banks. This move is aimed at expanding the reach of formal credit to millions of underserved but eligible Indians. Google also announced that India’s small businesses will now have access to formal credit with more flexibility and convenience to meet their working capital needs.
Using Cloud infrastructure for citizen-centric services and solutions
Google Cloud and Axis My India announced the launch of an inclusive and multilingual super-app called “a.” This app is designed to help people access government social welfare programs, basic day-to-day amenities, employment opportunities, and healthcare benefits.
Google Cloud also announced an expanded partnership with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to help Farmer Producer Organizations more efficiently and easily sell their produce online, and a collaboration with the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to introduce real-time payment systems via UPI for easier overseas payments.
Strengthening the safety of the Indian internet
Google also announced a new initiative called DigiKavach, which is aimed at combating online financial fraud. DigiKavach is a collaborative effort with industry partners and committed experts to share insights and develop countermeasures to new emerging scams.
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