Only 32 per cent of 51 million small and medium businesses (SMBs) in India currently have web presence of any sorts, and Google is committed to making digital adaptation a reality for the rest, said Rajan Anandan, Google Vice-president for India and South-East Asia, on Wednesday.

Research carried out by Google, together with KPMG, showed that a lack of understanding of the benefits of digital technologies and absence of technical skills kept two-thirds of Indian SMBs away from going online, Anandan said at a function to honour Indian firms which did exceedingly well because of digital presence.

Indian SMBs, which account for 37 per cent of the country’s GDP, employ 120 million people. According to Anandan, the technology giant has launched a range of initiatives to help these firms tap digital platform. Among them is a free mobile app, called Primer, which is designed to teach digital marketing skills in a quick, easy and interactive manner.

Google also announced three national winners for its Digital Unlocked campaign. While New Delhi-based women apparel firm Faridagupta.com won the prize for Business Impact Through Digital, Arpita Ganesh, from Bengaluru, who founded online lingerie store Buttercups, was chosen as woman business leader.

CareNx, a Mumbai-based firm which leveraged the digital platform to connect 6,000 pregnant women from 200 villages with city-based gynaecologists for medical advice, won laurels for impacting change through digital.

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