Government of India outlines plans to roll out its indigenously developed online e-commerce network in 100 Indian cities to provide millions of Kirana stores and consumers an alternative to multinational platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart. Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal on Friday announced the test-launch of the open-source system.
Goyal took it to twitter, “After UPI, another game changing idea to democratise commerce – ONDC soft launch today to select consumers, sellers and logistics providers. Get ready for a world of choice, convenience and transparency.”
After UPI, another game changing idea to democratise commerce – ONDC soft launch today to select consumers, sellers and logistics providers. Get ready for a world of choice, convenience and transparency. pic.twitter.com/47qXVMNJbV
— Piyush Goyal (मोदी का परिवार) (@PiyushGoyal) April 29, 2022
Additional Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Govt of India, Anil Agrawal said, the project is massive as it will provide a wide choice to all consumers and retailers and the formal launch will take place after successful testing of the system.
He said, end-to-end testing is being done to create a playbook with an aim to launch it in 100 cities in six months. The initial test launch, which was started in Bengaluru, will also cover cities such as Delhi, Coimbatore, Bhopal and Shillong.
The system will have multiple choices for both retailers and customers in terms of cataloguing, inventories, warehousing, suppliers, logistics and payments.
What role does ‘ITeC’ play?
Internal Trade & e-Commerce (ITeC) section was created in January, 2021 by merging e-Commerce and Internal Trade sections. The section is responsible for handling all aspects of e-Commerce and retail trade which includes harmonious growth of all forms of retail trade, improvement in ease of doing business, development of infrastructure across the distribution chain of retail trade and welfare of traders and their employees.
The Department has pioneered the initiative of Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) for promoting open networks for all aspects of exchange of goods and services over digital or electronic networks based on open source methodology, using open specifications and open network protocols independent of any specific platform. ONDC is expected to make e-Commerce more inclusive and accessible for consumers, standardize operations, promote inclusion of local suppliers, drive efficiencies in logistics and lead to enhancement of value for consumers.