Flipkart, the Indian e-commerce company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Mission Shakti, Government of Odisha to support self-help groups (SHGs), artisans and weavers in the state achieve sustained growth through market access and livelihood generation. This collaboration is in line with the shared goal of the Government of Odisha and Flipkart to foster employment and entrepreneurship amongst the self-help groups (SHGs) to enable them to become self-reliant, generate jobs and further bolster the economy of the state
The partnership aims to improve the livelihoods of artisans and weavers and develop capabilities among SHGs to enable them to leverage the digital medium for better business and trade inclusion opportunities.
Flipkart’s ‘Samarth’ and the Department of Mission Shakti of Odisha will facilitate the onboarding of SHGs.The Samarth platform will help them with onboarding of products besides cataloging of their products, imparting orientation, training on product packaging, logistics management, payment gateway/integration management, and returns & exchange management and so on, for greater ease of doing business in the state.
Additionally, the producer SHGs, that are a part of the Samarth programme, will receive time-bound incubation support and several other benefits from Flipkart as they grow their businesses through the Company’s e-commerce platform.
Sujata R Karthikeyan, commissioner, Mission Shakti Dept, Government of Odisha, said, “The e-commerce Industry is an ideal platform for providing opportunities and encouragement to women entrepreneurs who aspire to pursue entrepreneurship.”
Expressing pride at being “a part of India’s digital-led growth story”, Rajneesh Kumar, chief corporate affairs officer, Flipkart Group, said, “Through this partnership with the Government of Odisha, we will continue to support Self Help Groups, artisans and weavers in the state through the Samarth initiative in addition to getting MSMEs pan-India market access using our platform. Together, we will work towards creating a wide range of business and employment opportunities that will support many livelihoods and boost the local economy.”
