Rural development ministry ties up with Flipkart to sell products made by artisans

 The rural development ministry has tied up with e-commerce giant Flipkart to sell products made by millions of artisans under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) program on the e-commerce platform. The move will help artisans reach 10 crores of Flipkart's existing customers, thus substantially scaling their outreach. 

“India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace Flipkart has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ministry of rural development for Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) program,” the rural development ministry said in a statement.

“The move will help empower local businesses and self-help groups (SHGs), especially those that are led by women, by bringing them into the e-commerce fold,” it said.

“We are identifying and collaborating with all possible partners who can contribute to this cause and partnership between DAY NRLM and Flipkart will help in the process,” rural development minister Giriraj Singh said. 

According to Minister Singh, rural products from SHGs have huge potential for acceptance among the masses in India and abroad and e-commerce platforms will prove to be an effective tool to harness it. “This MoU will enable rural women to sell their products to more than 10 crores of Flipkart's customers,” he added. 

The MoU is a part of the Flipkart Samarth program and aims to provide skilled yet under-served communities of craftsmen, weavers and artisans with national market access through the Flipkart marketplace, as well as dedicated support for knowledge and training.

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. 

The rural development ministry’s DAY-NRLM program with its outreach in 6768 blocks of 706 districts across all 28 states and 6 UTs has 7.84 crore women mobilized into more than 71 lakh SHGs.

Under the mission, poor women from different cross-sections of class and caste form into SHGs and their federations, providing financial, economic, and social development services to their members for enhancing their income and quality of life.