Flipkart ties up with Odisha govt to promote local art, craft and handlooms

New Delhi, July 15 (KNN) After Karnataka, now E-commerce giant Flipkart has tied-up with the Odisha government to promote the state's arts, crafts and handloom sectors by bringing them on to e-commerce and providing market access.

Flipkart, which announced raising USD 1.2 billion from parent Walmart and others on Tuesday, will help artisans, weavers and craftsmen from the eastern state to onboard the e-commerce marketplace and retail across India.

Through the tie-up, Odisha’s State Institute for Development of Arts & Crafts (SIDAC) will enable the state’s “underserved segments” of the society including local artisans, weavers and craftsmen. The local Odia brands including Boyanika, Utkalika and Sambalpuri Bastralaya that work with these artisans will be available on Flipkart to “promote the best of Odisha’s local handicraft and handloom products, besides individual master artisans and weavers associated with the government,” Flipkart said in a statement.

With the help of Flipkart, handloom and handicraft artisans living in remote areas of Odisha will now be able to better market their products to consumers across India,” said Kailash Chandra Sahoo, Additional Secretary to Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts Department, Government of Odisha.

Flipkart said that through the Samarth programme it is supporting the livelihood of over 5 lakh artisans, weavers and micro enterprises in India. Flipkart has been reaching out to rural entrepreneurs particularly women-led enterprises, differently-abled entrepreneurs, artisans, and weavers in India’s hinterland who are unable to expand their business due to lack of access to working capital, poor infrastructure, and inadequate training.

“These are challenging times, and as a homegrown platform, we believe it is our responsibility to boost local businesses and transform them through ecosystem partnerships,” said Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group.

Flipkart has been partnering with different state governments and government organisations including Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Gujarat under its Samarth initiative launched in July last year to support Indian artisans grow digitally.