CSCs Collaborate with ONDC to Boost E-commerce in Rural India
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has announced a collaboration between Common Services Centers (CSCs) and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). This partnership aims to facilitate e-commerce access for rural citizens across India. The integration of CSC's e-Grameen application onto the ONDC network will empower rural users to explore a wide range of e-commerce services.
S. Krishnan, Secretary-Ministry of Electronics and IT, highlighted the challenges in providing services to remote villages and expressed optimism about overcoming these challenges through the partnership. By reducing the role of middlemen, the collaboration seeks to ensure fair prices for producers, paving the way for rural development.
The integration will occur in two phases. In the first phase, CSCs will join as a buyer-side platform, allowing citizens to place orders for essentials through the Grameen app at over 4 lakh CSC points across India. The second phase will enable CSC sellers on the Grameen e-Store to receive orders via ONDC, fostering entrepreneurship opportunities and income growth for village-level entrepreneurs, aligning with the vision of Gram Swaraj.
T. Koshy, MD and CEO of ONDC, expressed the joint mission to provide essential e-commerce services to millions of citizens through the extensive CSC network. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary-Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, emphasized that ONDC offers businesses of all scales the opportunity to directly sell their goods and services to customers, promoting self-reliance in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.