Actor Sonu Sood announced on social media on February 11 that he will launch a zero-investment plan for entrepreneurs in rural India.
तैयार रहिए। pic.twitter.com/Eeyc6onNNk
— sonu sood (@SonuSood) February 11, 2021
The actor whose philanthropic activities saw a rise during the pandemic-hit year of 2020 with his Sood Charity Foundation, partnered with the digital Banking Correspondent (BC) platform Spice Money in December 2020 to digitally and financially empower one crore rural entreprenuers, The Economic Times reported.
He had shared a teaser of the same on February 10. Apart from being the face of the digital drive, as part of the association, the actor will own equity stake in the company and has been appointed as the non-executive advisory board member.
जो अब तक ना हुआ हम वो कमाल करने वाले है,
शहर भी देगा दाद जिसकी हम वो मिसाल बनने वाले है!#SpiceMoneyTohLifeBani @IamDilipModi@SpiceMoneyIndia pic.twitter.com/oUAUHYxkgO— sonu sood (@SonuSood) February 10, 2021
“I believe that together, we will chart the future for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Through my experiences over the last few months, I have gained a perspective on the needs and struggles of the people in towns and villages of India. My vision is to make my countrymen, socio-economically independent and self-reliant using technology,” said Sonu Sood, in a statement, reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s idea of an independent India.
With the aim to bridge the gap between urban, semi-urban, and rural counterparts, the Spice Money Adhikari network has helped provide the Indian rural, under-banked population with facilities such as cash deposit and withdrawals, bill payments, money transfers and much more over the last few years.
The actor was quoted saying by the Mint, “As I have witnessed the struggles of thousands of migrant workers during the lockdown, it is time to come forward and help the less privileged earn their own livelihood in the towns and villages where they reside.”
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Mint reported that the initiative will be free of cost, as in, while earlier there was a charge attached to the delivery of financial services, through this program, the entrepreneurs will get paid on every transaction they undertake on this platform, explained founder Dilip Modi.
This initiative adds another feather to the actor’s cap who has been helping migrants since the pandemic brought their lives to a standstill. From arranging buses to carry 12,000 migrants back home, to distributing phones for the purpose of online classes to students belonging to under-privileged sections, the actor has helped the rural poor immensely.
In an interview to PTI, regarding his book, I am No Messiah, which released recently, Sood said, “It (lockdown) changed my outlook towards life. I will always remember 2020 as a year when we all tried to be the best versions of ourselves. It (memoir) was my way of capturing those moments for posterity.”