The Business Bytes
NEW DELHI, JULY 1, 2024 (TBB BUREAU): In a landmark initiative, the government-run Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) announced the induction of 300 sellers and 400 women entrepreneurs into its e-commerce platform on Monday. This significant expansion aims to empower local businesses and artisans across India.
The newly onboarded 300 sellers hail from six notable clusters: Lucknow (Chikankari), Moradabad (Brassware), Kanchipuram (Kanchipuram sarees), Varanasi (Benarasi sarees), Khurja (Pottery), and Bargarh (Sambhalpuri sarees). This integration was made possible through a strategic partnership with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
These sellers, many of whom are engaging with digital commerce for the first time, have achieved remarkable milestones. Notably, nine Kanchipuram sellers recorded sales of Rs 21 lakh from over 180 orders within just ten months of onboarding, a significant increase from their previous 10-12 monthly orders.
“If the majority of participating artisans, women entrepreneurs, and social enterprises are entering the digital e-commerce ecosystem for the first time, it highlights the existing infrastructure gaps and the vast opportunities that are currently accessible to only a few,” said T. Koshy, Managing Director & CEO of ONDC.
In addition to empowering traditional sellers, the ONDC has onboarded approximately 400 women-led businesses, creating livelihood opportunities for over 5 million women. These include prominent home-grown brands like Kudumbashree, Jharcraft, UBUNTU Consortium, SEWA Federation, Mann Deshi Foundation, Tea Trunk, Cinnamon Closet, Tamul, Creyo, Shwet India, Anubhuthi Experiences, Sarmaya, Satmya, Amrutam, and Rangasutra, all of which support women artisans.
Individual artisan clusters such as the Kanchipuram cluster from Tamil Nadu and the Chikankari Cluster from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, have also joined the network. Furthermore, 50 Geographical Indication (GI) tagged social sector sellers from the GI pavilion at the India International Fair Trade have been integrated into the ONDC Network, further amplifying the reach and impact of these socially conscious businesses.
“The Open Network effectively addresses these gaps by creating a level playing field for all sellers, regardless of their size or background. We are driving economic empowerment with equitable distribution of growth opportunities as our anchor,” Koshy added.
