Flipkart signs MoU with UP government under One District, One Product Scheme

Bengaluru: Flipkart, an e-commerce marketplace, on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the One District, One Product (ODOP) scheme of the Uttar Pradesh government.

As part of this MoU, artisans, weavers and craftsmen under the ODOP scheme will be brought into the ambit of the Flipkart Samarth initiative.

The partnership will enable these under-served communities from UP to showcase their specialized products and crafts to millions of customers across the country. Flipkart Samarth will enable them to break entry barriers by extending time-bound incubation support, which includes benefits in the form of onboarding, free cataloguing, marketing, account management, business insights and warehousing support.

Flipkart Samarth recently completed one year and has further strengthened its benefits .These benefits will give the new onboarded artisans, weavers and craftsmen under the ODOP scheme a greater scope to grow their business online as they face social and economic challenges.

Commenting on the MoU, Mr Navneet Sehgal, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), MSME & Export Promotion, UP government , said, “The One District One Product scheme was introduced to give a boost to the MSME sector while preserving and promoting the exquisite, indigenous legacy of art in Uttar Pradesh. We are confident that the partnership with Flipkart will enable artisans and the MSMEs in Uttar Pradesh to scale up their business and showcase their skills to a national audience.”

Mr. Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group said ,” We are delighted to partner with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to leverage the power of technology and innovation through e-commerce to enable artisans and craftsmen to realize their full potential. The rich art and handicrafts of UP will now be available to our more than 250 million consumers across India. This partnership is a continuation of our efforts to democratize commerce in India and make the online marketplace accessible and beneficial for under-served communities across the country, while creating new livelihood opportunities.”

Flipkart has previously signed an MoU with the Uttar Pradesh Khadi and Village Industries Board to benefit weavers and artisans by introducing khadi fabrics and village industry products on the Flipkart Marketplace.

With this partnership, further specialized products from UP such as its rare and intriguing wheat-stalk craft, chikankari and zari-zardozi cloth works, among others will become available on the platform.