Kolkata April 25, 2022: Flipkart, India's homegrown e-commerce marketplace, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles (MSME&T) Department, Government of West Bengal. The goal is to train and support local artisans, weavers, and handicraft makers to leverage the e-commerce platform to scale their local products nationally.
The Flipkart Samarth programme will empower artisans/weavers in West Bengal with the ecosystem support required to grow and benefit from the e-commerce platform access. Under this partnership, the Samarth program will provide time-bound incubation support and training benefits to underserved communities.
Commenting on the partnership, Shri Rajesh Pandey, IAS, Principal Secretary, MSME & Textiles Department, Government of West Bengal, said, "This partnership with the Government of West Bengal and Flipkart will greatly enhance the growth and development of artisans, weavers, small businesses and MSMEs by providing access to opportunities that e-commerce enables. These efforts will also be instrumental in driving the commercial and social development in the state by creating inclusive growth."
Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group, said, "Flipkart's partnership with the Govt of West Bengal will be instrumental in driving the economic growth of weavers, artisans and small businesses with Flipkart's national market access. We have partnered with the government to continue supporting the state and India's inclusive growth vision and create shared-value in the country."
About Flipkart Samarth
Flipkart Samarth was launched in 2019 to democratize e-commerce through technology. Its objective is to build a sustainable and inclusive platform for under-served domestic communities, with a special focus on women-led enterprises and people with disabilities. Under this program, Flipkart works with several Government entities, livelihood missions, and NGO partners to onboard rural entrepreneurs from across the country. Today, Flipkart Samarth impacts over a million livelihoods by helping them adapt and leverage digital commerce.
About the Flipkart Group
The Flipkart Group is one of India's leading digital commerce entities and includes group companies Flipkart, Myntra, Flipkart Wholesale, Flipkart Health+ and Cleartrip. The Group is also a majority shareholder in PhonePe.
Started in 2007, Flipkart has enabled millions of consumers, sellers, merchants, and small businesses to be a part of India's digital commerce revolution. It has a registered customer base of more than 400 million, offering over 150 million products across 80+ categories. Flipkart is known for pioneering services such as Cash on Delivery, No Cost EMI and easy returns. Together with its group companies, Flipkart is committed to transforming commerce in India through technology.
For more information, please write to media@flipkart.com.
