Flipkart, the e-commerce giant, has taken yet another step to support the local artisans of India as a part of its Samarth initiative.
The Walmart-led company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh Khadi & Village Industries Board (UPKVIB) which will enable artisans, weavers and craftsmen from diverse backgrounds and rural parts of the country to set up their business on Flipkart.
The MoU was signed on Wednesday (2 October) in the presence of Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Talking about the association, Dr. Navneet Sehgal, IAS, CEO of UPKVIB, said “We are hopeful that our association with Flipkart will encourage more artisans and weavers of Uttar Pradesh to become a part of the e-commerce economy.”
The Samarth programme covers on-boarding, cataloguing, account management, business insights, dedicated seller support, reduced commission and warehousing for all parties and artisans it associates with, providing holistic support in their upliftment.
UPKVIB and Flipkart will work together, with the enthusiastic support of the UP Government, to help weavers and artisans sell Khadi fabrics and village industries’ products across Flipkart’s pan-India customer base of over 160 million.
“We are thankful to the Uttar Pradesh Government for collaborating with us to bring online the community of Khadi and village industries’ artisans in UP,” said Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group.