Flipkart to Enable Varanasi's Artisans To Access National Market

Flipkart signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the District Administration of Varanasi, Government of Uttar Pradesh, to enable national market access for Artisans, weavers, people with disabilities and of Varanasi.

Through this partnership, iconic goods such as Banaras Sarees, Handmade Carpets, Zardoji Craft, Metal Crafts, and Handmade Dari from the state will now be available to 400 million customers on the Flipkart platform. The Flipkart Samarth program will offer training and time- bound incubation support,, which will help artisans, weavers, people with disabilities, and craftsmen grow their businesses through e-commerce.

The MoU was exchanged at an event in Varanasi in the presence of Shri. Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Hon'ble Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India between Shri Umesh Kumar Singh, Joint Commissioner, Department of Industries, Varanasi Division and Shri. Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group.

The guests of honor who graced the occasion were - Shri Ravindra Jaiswal, Hon'ble Minister of Registration and Stamp, Government of Uttar Pradesh among other dignitaries such as Shri Navneet Sehgal, Additional Chief Secretary Department of MSME, Information, Khadi and Exports, Shri Deepak Agarwal, Divisional Commissioner, Varanasi and District Magistrate Varanasi, Shri Kaushal Raj Sharma.

At the event, artisans, weavers, people with disabilities and craftsmen of Varanasi were recognised by the dignitaries for their contribution towards the society.

Commenting on the initiative, Shri. Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Hon'ble Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India, said, “Today, MSMEs are leveraging the power of technology and wider national market to accelerate their growth. Through e-commerce customers from across the country can now access the state-specific local iconic goods such as Banaras Sarees, Handmade Carpets, Zardoji Craft, Metal Crafts, and Handmade Daris. MSMEs growth and digital transformation are a road to realizing the country`s dream of becoming a $5 trillion economy.”

Commenting on the partnership, Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group, said, “We are excited and committed to be part of India's economic growth story by helping millions of local businesses adopt e-commerce. Our efforts are focused on helping them digitize their business and explore growth opportunities through Flipkart's e-commerce marketplace. We are delighted to continue to deepen our engagement in the state of UP while creating lakhs of opportunities and new jobs through this MoU and expanding e-commerce opportunities to small businesses, artisans, weavers etc in Varanasi on the National Handloom Day, just ahead of the 75th anniversary of our nation’s independence.”

Flipkart Samarth, launched in 2019, is a nationwide initiative that aims to introduce lakhs of MSMEs, artisans and underserved communities from across the country to growth opportunities through e-commerce. The programme's primary objective is to provide underserved domestic communities and companies with a sustainable and inclusive platform and better livelihood chances. Flipkart Samarth provides time-limited incubation, assistance with onboarding, free cataloguing, marketing support, account administration, business insights, and warehousing support to assist these small enterprises in establishing their operations on the Flipkart Marketplace.