Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, to promote the state’s Arts, Crafts and Handloom sectors by bringing them into the e-commerce fold.
The partnership with State Institute for Development of Arts & Crafts (SIDAC) under the Flipkart Samarth programme will enable Odisha’s local artisans, weavers and craftsmen to showcase their hallmark products to millions of customers across the country. Both SIDAC and Flipkart will focus on creating avenues to increase business and trade inclusion opportunities for these underserved segments of the society, thereby adding further thrust to Made in India efforts.
As part of this MoU, Flipkart will onboard renowned local Odia brands such as Boyanika, Utkalika and Sambalpuri Bastralaya – the enterprises that work with local artisans and weavers in the state to promote the best of Odisha’s local handicraft and handloom products, besides individual master artisans and weavers associated with the Government.
Commenting on the MoU, Kailash Chandra Sahoo, Additional Secretary to Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts Department, Govt. of Odisha said, “The partnership with Flipkart is the start of a new era in Odisha’s Handicrafts and Handloom sectors, led by Boyanika,Utkalika and Sambalpuri Bastralaya, among others. With the help of Flipkart, handloom and handicraft artisans living in remote areas of Odisha will now be able to better market their products to consumers across India. This partnership will also help the artisans gain valuable knowledge about branding, digital marketing and financial management while showcasing the local heritage and hallmark products.”
“We are delighted to join hands with the Govt. of Odisha to bring the state’s heritage on our platform while providing the state’s artisans and weavers a chance to fulfil their ambitions and expand their businesses pan-India. These are challenging times, and as a homegrown platform, we believe it is our responsibility to boost local businesses and transform them through ecosystem partnerships. This MoU will bring the benefits of Flipkart Samarth to the thousands of handloom artisans, weavers and craftsmen in the state,” said Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group.
In less than a year since its launch, Flipkart Samarth has been playing a significant role in building capabilities within the rural and underserved society of the country and is today supporting the livelihood of more than 500,000 artisans, weavers and micro enterprises across India.
Flipkart Samarth works closely with reputed NGOs and Government bodies and livelihood missions to reach a large number of rural entrepreneurs, with a special focus on women-led enterprises, differently-abled entrepreneurs, artisans, and weavers, who often face obstacles such as lack of access to working capital, poor infrastructure, and inadequate training.
Flipkart has assessed the pain points and aspirations of these groups and designed Flipkart Samarth to address their problems and make it easier for them to list and sell online.