Andhra govt, Puch AI ink deal to boost women’s productivity in retail

Amaravati, Dec 11 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said the state’s municipal administration department has signed an agreement with Puch AI to enhance women’s productivity in the retail sector.

Naidu said the partnership will focus on deploying AI solutions aimed at improving the efficiency and output of urban self-help group (SHG) women engaged in retail activities.

"Municipal Administration Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, has signed an MoU with Puch AI. This partnership aims to deploy AI solutions designed to enhance the productivity of urban SHG women operating in the retail sector," the chief minister said in a post on 'X'.

Naidu met representatives of Puch AI earlier in the day, officials added.

Puch AI was founded by Siddharth Bhatia, an alumnus of the National University of Singapore, and Arjit Jain, a graduate of IIT-Bombay.

The startup’s mission, according to its website, is to make artificial intelligence accessible to people across India, regardless of their language, education level, or technical expertise.

The brand describes itself as a "voice-first platform" that supports Indic languages and major regional accents, and is accessible to users on WhatsApp without the need for a separate app or website. PTI STH SSK