Amazon India announces diversity grant for entrepreneurs in logistics biz

Chandigarh: Amazon India on Tuesday announced a special diversity grant to support entrepreneurs in building their logistics business.

The new initiative aims to boost the participation of women, persons with disability and people from the LGBTQIA+ community in Amazon's Delivery Service Partner programme, the company said in a release here.

The special grant will "empower aspiring entrepreneurs from under represented communities to join its Delivery Service Partner (DSP) programme in India", the release said.

Under the DSP programme, Amazon assists entrepreneurs in starting delivery business by providing them with access to Amazon's delivery technology, hands-on training and exclusively negotiated deals on services such as payroll management, insurance and recruitment technology, among others.

In total, Amazon has committed nearly USD 7 million worldwide to support entrepreneurs through various grant programmes.

Those with no prior logistics experience are also welcome to apply for the grant and participate in the programme, the company said.

"Since its inception in India, the DSP programme has not only aided Amazon in providing growth opportunities to SMBs, but it has also enabled us to expand our delivery network into the country's hinterlands. We are pleased to offer a special grant to women and other under represented communities joining the programmes to evolve the entrepreneurship ecosystem in logistics," said Karuna Shankar Pande, Director, Amazon Logistics, India.

Over the years, the Delivery Service Programme has become a network of more than 1,000 delivery stations around the world, and has expanded to more than 14 countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Germany and Japan.