Ministry of Rural Development collaborates with Flipkart to enhance rural livelihoods

The Ministry of Rural Development of the Government of India (MoRD) has collaborated with Flipkart for their ambitious Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) program. The program aims to empower local businesses and self-help groups (SHGs) – especially those that are led by women – by bringing them into the e-commerce fold.

The partnership is aligned with the DAY-NRLM’s goal of strengthening the capabilities of rural communities for self-employment and entrepreneurship, thus providing further impetus to the Prime Minister’s vision of an “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.

In the presence of Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Mr Giriraj Singh, Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, the MoU was signed at a ceremony in Delhi by the Joint Secretary (RL), DAY-NRLM, Mr Charanjit Singh and Flipkart’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Mr Rajneesh Kumar.

On this occasion, Mr Giriraj Singh said, “SHGs are the backbone of the rural economy and we are aiming to enhance their annual income to at least 1 lakh.  We are identifying and collaborating with all possible partners who can contribute to this cause and a partnership between DAY NRLM and Flipkart will help in the process. Rural products from SHGs have huge potential of acceptance among the masses in India and abroad and e-commerce platforms will prove to be an effective tool to harness it.” Shri Singh said that MoU will enable rural women to sell their products to more than 10 crores of Flipkart’s customers.

This MoU is part of the Flipkart Samarth programme, which aims to provide national market access to skilled but underserved groups of craftsmen, weavers, and artisans through the Flipkart marketplace, as well as targeted expertise and training support.

Flipkart Samarth aims to help local communities break down obstacles to entry by providing time-limited incubation and assistance with onboarding, cataloguing, marketing, account management, business insights, and warehousing. This will open up additional options for business and trade inclusion, as well as aid to establish and sustaining improved livelihood opportunities.

Mr Charanjit Singh, Joint Secretary (Skills), DAY-NRLM said, “DAY-NRLM’s partnership with Flipkart Samarth provides a great platform for capacity-building, enhancing and impacting rural livelihoods, especially for women. This step will mobilize and channelize the resources required for building and supporting rural businesses to realize their full potential for growth, which is crucial for inclusive and robust national development, especially during the current post-COVID era.”

Mr Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group said, “We are leveraging our knowledge of the Indian market to enhance social and economic development for the under-served communities, many of whom reside in rural areas. The crafts of India’s local artisans, weavers and self-help groups deserve to reach a far wider audience, including and beyond their respective regions. The Flipkart Samarth initiative provides them with access to potentially more than 350 million consumers on our platform spread across the country. We are delighted and honoured to partner with the DAY-NRLM and be able to contribute to a vital aspect of nation-building.”

Also read: Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar launches Future Skills PRIME programme https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/union-minister-rajeev-chandrasekhar-launches-future-skills-prime-programme/

The Flipkart Samarth program was launched in 2019 as a sustainable and inclusive platform to empower underserved domestic communities and businesses with better opportunities and livelihoods. Flipkart Samarth is currently supporting the livelihoods of over 9,50,000 artisans, weavers and craftsmen across India, and is continuously working towards bringing even more sellers onto the platform.