New Delhi: Flipkart has partnered with Maharashtra State Khadi & Village Industries Board and Maharashtra Small Scale Industries Development Corporation to bring local artisans and small and medium businesses into the e-commerce fold.
The partnership under the Flipkart Samarth programme will enable Maharashtra’s local artisans, weavers, craftsmen and smaller industries to showcase their hallmark products like Khadi, Paithani sarees, wooden toys, handmade artefacts, jewellery and paper products, purses and other key handicraft products to customers across the country, a statement said.
This will also add impetus to the government’s ‘Vocal for Local’ efforts, it added.
Flipkart Samarth is a nationwide initiative that aims to help skilled local artisan communities set up their business on Flipkart’s marketplace.
“E-commerce can play an integral role in the growth of MSMEs across the country by giving them national market access to 300 million customers that shop on our platform,” Rajneesh Kumar, chief corporate affairs officer of Flipkart Group, said in the statement. “Flipkart Samarth is a cherished initiative that provides these businesses with the necessary support, and we hope to continue reaching more such local businesses to help them reap the benefits of e-commerce.”
Subhash Desai, Maharashtra Minister for Industries and Mining, said MSMEs play a huge role in boosting the economy of the state and are vital to the state’s socio-economic development. “In the post-Covid-19 era, we explored revolutionary measures to get better market opportunities and empowering the handicrafts and handlooms industry,” Desai said.
The Flipkart Samarth programme was launched in 2019 to build a sustainable and inclusive platform for the underserved, domestic communities and businesses to empower them with greater opportunities and better livelihood. The programme now supports the livelihood of more than 7.5 lakh artisans, weavers and craftsmen across India.
