NEW DELHI: TV actor-turned-Bollywood star and entrepreneur Sushant Singh Rajput has been signed on by India’s NITI Aayog as brand ambassador and collaborator for Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP).

Star of cricketer MS Dhoni biopic, Rajput, who began his acting career in television serials, will also be promoting NITI Aayog’s digital payments campaign. The actor will endorse the WEP and encourage use of Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) application by appearing in various video, print and social media campaigns of NITI Aayog.

“NITI Aayog has always emphasised the importance of reaching out to the youth and inviting them to engage with the various policies of the government. Sushant Singh Rajput, through his work and as a youth icon, embodies the energetic and spirited masses shaping the country’s growth narrative today. As a brand ambassador of WEP, which already includes over a 1,000 women entrepreneurs, this partnership will further drive our mission to establish a vibrant, enabling entrepreneurial ecosystem for the women of the country,”NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Friday, highlighting the importance of including young role-models in popularizing government initiatives.

Commenting on his association with NITI Aayog, Rajput said, “I am honoured to be associated with NITI Aayog and be a part of India’s transformative journey. NITI Aayog is doing incredible work by empowering thousands of women in our country through the Women Entrepreneurship Platform and revolutionising the cashless economy by introducing a simple digital payments app, BHIM.  As a brand ambassador, it gives me an opportunity to drive the digital India movement and support women entrepreneurs in India.”

As part of the agreement, the actor would also be supporting NITI Aayog in promoting the Women Transforming India Awards 2018, the theme for which is ‘Women and Entrepreneurship’.

Rajput and his partner Varun Mathur, through their recently launched company Innsaei Ventures, shall be setting aside a corpus of Rs 200 million, which shall be invested in startups established by women entrepreneurs.

The WEP was launched on 8 March 2018 on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The initiative is aimed at building an ecosystem for women across India to realise their entrepreneurial aspirations, scale-up innovative initiatives and chalk-out sustainable, long-term strategies for their businesses.