Telangana May 9, 2022: Flipkart, India's homegrown e-commerce marketplace, today announced a partnership through a Terms of Understanding (ToU) with Aarunya. This ToU aims to onboard women artisans, weavers, handicraft makers and help promote and scale their products pan-India through the e-commerce platform. This effort will be driven through Flipkart Samarth.
The ToU was signed in the presence of K. T. Rama Rao, Minister for IT, Industries, Municipal Administration and Urban Development of Telangana.
Talking about the partnership, K. T. Rama Rao said, "Partnership with Flipkart Samarth provides a great platform for capacity-building, enhancing and impacting rural livelihoods, especially for women. These partnerships will be instrumental in driving the commercial and social development in the state by creating inclusive growth."
Rajneesh Kumar, SVP & Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group, said, "We are delighted to partner with Telangana and Aarunya a project that helps women gain financial independence by providing them with various skill training programs and a platform to get pan-India market access for their Handloom and Handicraft products. With this partnership, we aim to uplift and empower women-led businesses in their growth ambition in Telangana."
Aarunya, the brand name for Narayanpet's famous handlooms and handicrafts, is a project initiated amidst Covid 19 to help local women sell their specialized products. The project, which started with a team of 10 women, is now organizing a full-fledged campaign to train other women on how to make Kalamkari and Black Paintings. Aarunya has secured funding from NABARD to conduct these training sessions.
This partnership will enable the local artisans and handicraft makers from the region to market their hallmark products such as Kalankari, black paintings, fig jam and clay jewelry to millions of customers across India and help them attain financial independence.
About Flipkart Samarth
Flipkart Samarth is a nationwide initiative that aims to help skilled artisan communities set up their business on the Flipkart Marketplace in an efficient, transparent and cost-effective manner. The program was launched in 2019 as a sustainable and inclusive platform that empowers underserved indigenous communities and businesses with new growth opportunities and better livelihoods. Flipkart Samarth currently supports over a million artisans, weavers and craftsmen across India.
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 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.
For more information, please contact media@flipkart.com.
