New Delhi, Jan 28 (KNN) In order to onboard thousands of artisans, weavers and craftsmen and to promote local business, E-commerce giant Flipkart has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat State Handloom and Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd (GSHHDC).

The MoU was signed in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Ramniklal Rupat an event in Rajkot.

Speaking on the same, GSHHDC Managing Director Mahesh Singh said, ''GSHHDC and Flipkart will work together to enhance business and trade inclusion. Eligible sellers under GSHHDC will receive training and incubation support from Flipkart in the form of onboarding, business insights, dedicated seller support and warehousing.''

"The handloom and handicraft artisans living in remote areas of Gujarat will now be able to use Flipkart's platform to expand their market reach. Along with marketing their products, the artisans will also gain valuable knowledge about developments in designs, colour patterns and selling techniques from the platform," Singh said in a statement.

Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Flipkart Group, said the 'Samarth' initiative is designed to help underserved communities and boost local entrepreneurship through a transparent, efficient and cost-effective marketplace model.

Earlier, in this month Flipkart had also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry's Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) to help small businesses in exploring wide markets through the Flipkart’s platform.

This partnership will increase business and trade opportunities for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and provide them training and support to grow their business.

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Flipkart is delighted to partner with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to empower artisans and SHGs across the country to benefit from its platform. With every artisan or MSME on board, the e-commerce platform becomes more inclusive for Indians. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the DAY-NULM mission of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for joining hands with us,'' said Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group.

Commenting on the same, Sanjay Kumar, Housing and Urban Affairs Joint Secretary and Mission Director DAY-NULM, had said, "The collaboration with Flipkart will be instrumental in capacity building of women entrepreneurs in skills of branding, digital marketing and financial management in addition to providing access to wider customer base to locally made high quality products of Self Help Groups under DAY-NULM."

The Flipkart Group has a registered customer base of over 20 crore, offering over 15 crore products across more than 80 categories.

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