Meta, the parent company of Facebook, plans to train 1 million small companies and 2.5 lakh creators in India

Meta (previously Facebook) announced intentions to skill one crore small companies and 2,50,000 artists in the country over the next three years at a new headquarters in Delhi-NCR, one of the company's largest in Asia.

This is Meta's first independent office location in Asia, with 1.3 lakh square feet. The Centre for Fueling India's New Economy (CFINE), which will train small entrepreneurs and creators, is also located on the premises.

The new Meta office has an open floor layout and an unfinished appearance, similar to the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Various teams from Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp will be housed in the new office in the city.

The purposefully exposed concrete pillars and cables on the roof, according to Meta, are designed to highlight the company's startup history. In 2010, the company opened its first office in the country in Hyderabad.

"India's not just the largest country for Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, it's also where in many ways, the future of the internet is being shaped. We see this office as an opportunity for us to build a space that does not just house our largest team in the country, but will also be a space that deeply engages with the world outside," Facebook India (Meta) Vice President and Managing Director Ajit Mohan told reporters here.

He went on to say that CFINE, a multifunctional centre, will bring together all of the company's products and efforts, with the goal of using the company's technology and resources to help innovators, small businesses, and entrepreneurs flourish in the country.

Over the next three years, we will attempt to train and skill 1 crore small businesses and 2,50,000 creators through the centre. We realise this is no small task, but we recognise that we have an obligation to rise to the unique opportunity presented by the forces of technology transforming India," Mohan said.

He further said: "This is an opportunity in line with the openness of India's internet and the fundamental democratic values that drive institutions that we have benefited from."

The government announced rules earlier this year that require large social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to conduct additional due diligence, which includes the appointment of a chief compliance officer, nodal contact person, and resident grievance officer in the country.

They'll also have to display a physical contact address in India on their website, mobile app, or both. The laws were put in place to make social media platforms, which have witnessed a massive increase in usage in India over the last few years, more accountable and responsible for the content they contain.

India had 53 crore WhatsApp users, 41 crore Facebook subscribers, and 21 crore Instagram users at the time, according to government data.