Ambuja Cements, the ninth-largest building materials solutions provider globally and part of the Adani Portfolio, has handed over electric auto-rickshaws to 10 women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the Kodinar region of Gujarat, opening a new chapter in rural women empowerment and self-employment on International Women’s Day.

The handover ceremony was held at Ambujanagar, marking the culmination of a structured skilling and financing initiative designed to equip women with both the capability and capital to operate independent transport businesses.

Women associated with Sorath Mahila Vikas Sahakari Mandali and local SHGs underwent two months of specialised e-auto driving training at the Skill and Entrepreneurship Development Institute (SEDI), Ambujanagar. The programme focused on building safe driving skills and operational confidence among participants.

Following training, participants purchased the e-autos with extended loan support from Sorath Mahila Vikas Sahakari Mandali, ensuring financial access remained no barrier to ownership.

The trained women will operate e-autos in and around Kodinar, providing passenger transport services and ferrying school-going children — addressing a critical rural mobility gap while generating sustainable household income.

Ambuja Cements officials, present at the handover, encouraged the women to embrace their self-employment journey, reaffirming the company’s commitment to income-generating opportunities for women in underserved rural communities.

The initiative reflects Ambuja Cements’ wider strategy of linking skill development with livelihood creation, particularly for women in regions surrounding its plant operations. The company’s SEDI centres across India have trained thousands of rural youth and women in vocational skills since inception.

The e-auto programme aligns with India’s broader push for electric mobility adoption in rural areas and dovetails with national priorities around women-led development and the SHG movement under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission.