Flipkart, India’s leading e-commerce marketplace, today signed an MoU with the Government of Jharkhand to onboard the Jharkhand’s artisans, weavers and craftsmen onto ‘Flipkart Samarth’ an initiative aimed at enabling and handholding craftsmen from across India to set up an online business. The MoU will bring thousands of artisans, weavers, and craftsmen from Jharkhand into the e-commerce fold, ahead of the state’s much-awaited Bamboo Artists Conclave on September 18 – 19. To begin with, products and handicrafts from Jharkraft and Khadi Jharkhand are present on the platform, with several other Jharkhand based NGOs and artisans preparing to join in a few weeks.
As part of the Flipkart Samarth program, eligible entities and artisans will receive time-bound incubation support in the form of onboarding, cataloguing, account management, business insights, reduced commission (where eligible), and warehousing. The Government of Jharkhand is supporting the initiative by fast-tracking collaboration between Flipkart and state-run enterprises that are already working in the arts and handicrafts space.
This development coincides with other initiatives and schemes by the Jharkhand Government to promote the bamboo, khadi and handloom industries in the State. It also comes just ahead of the online festive season in India, one in which artisans from Jharkhand can participate in for the first time. ” Artisans, handloom weavers and craftpersons of Jharkhand are having enormous skill which is passed on from generation to generation. I am sure that association with Flipkart will provide national market exposure to Jharkhand’s craft and traditional skills.
This e-commerce platform will unite the people across India with Jharkhand’s craft, traditional skills and knowledge. Apart from local artisans and weavers, in course of time, other Jharkhand MSME manufacturers will also benefit out of this association with Flipkart” said Raghubar Das, Chief Minister of Jharkhand. “We are delighted to join hands with the Govt. of Jharkhand to give the state’s artisans and weavers the opportunity to showcase and sell their products to a pan-India customer base of over 150 million.
Flipkart Samarth has been designed to help underserved communities break social and demographic barriers and participate in the formal economy. We are thankful to the Govt. of Jharkhand for its support in bringing the benefits of Samarth to the community of bamboo, khadi and handloom artisans in the State. With every artisan who gets on board Samarth, we’re a step closer to making e-commerce even more inclusive for all Indians,” said Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group. To access the widest selection of craft products, users of the Flipkart mobile app may type ‘Samarth’ in the search bar and click on the banner at the top of the results.
