Pwani Kaur

Indian social entrepreneur who empowered rural women through digital literacy initiatives

Pwani Kaur (b. 1975) is a Punjabi social innovator whose Digital Sangat movement has transformed the lives of over 500,000 rural Indian women since 1999. Growing up in a farming family with no electricity, she recognized how digital illiteracy perpetuated gender inequality. Her groundbreaking "Women's Tech Cooperative" model combines mobile training centers with microloans for purchasing smartphones, enabling women to access agricultural market data, telemedicine services, and online education platforms. Kaur's development of the "Sathi" app (now used by 2 million users) connects rural artisans directly with global buyers, increasing household incomes by an average of 300%. Her 2003 TEDx talk "Fiber to Wi-Fi: Reimagining Rural India" inspired similar programs in Bangladesh and Nepal. Partnering with Microsoft's Airband Initiative, she deployed solar-powered mesh networks in 120 villages, creating India's first rural internet exchange point. Kaur's work was recognized by the UN Women's HeForShe campaign, and her 2018 book "Code for Change" remains a core text in global development studies. Her current focus on AI-driven agricultural advisory systems is piloting in drought-prone regions of Maharashtra.