New Delhi: Common Services Centers (CSCs) and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) have partnered together to enhance e-commerce accessibility in rural India. This partnership aims to narrow the digital gap and provide millions of rural citizens an opportunity to buy goods and services using e-commerce platforms.
Under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), CSCs and ONDC are planning to expand the reach of e-commerce to rural India. They plan to integrate CSC’s e-Grameen app into the ONDC Network as a buyer application. It will help people in rural India to access a wide range of products and services online.
The integration will happen in two phases: first, CSCs will become a buyer-side platform where people can order things through the Grameen app. Since there are over 4 lakh CSC points all over India, millions of new users will get introduced to online shopping through these trusted local centers.
Then, in the next step, sellers registered with CSC will be able to get orders through ONDC. This should create more opportunities for people in villages to start their own businesses which aligns with the concept of Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan.
Some of the officials such as Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary-Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and S. Krishnan, Secretary-Ministry of Electronics and IT has praised the initiative for its potential to transform rural economies and reduce intermediary challenges for producers.