Trivandrum: Giving a digital thrust to the industries sector, the Kerala Department of Industries and Commerce today signed an MoU with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), launched by the Central government’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, to increase business opportunities in various sectors by facilitating digital transformation.
Principal Secretary, Industries & Norka, Shri Suman Billa, and CEO of ONDC, Shri Thampy Koshy exchanged the MoUs on the occasion.
Minister for Law, Industries & Coir, Shri P Rajeeve launched the products of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) on the e-commerce platform at an event here in the presence of the Minister for Transport, Shri Antony Raju.
Shri Rajeeve said around nine companies have signed agreements with ONDC and 220 products of PSUs are available on the platform currently. The Minister reminded PSUs of maintaining professionalism in product delivery, quality and packaging, besides strengthening their marketing team. “Products of MSMEs will be made available on the ONDC platform in the next phase and workshops will be conducted in all taluks to create awareness on the possibilities offered by ONDC”.
Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala, Dr V P Joy, who was the Chief Guest, highlighted the importance of marketing support to achieve success. He said the agreement with ONDC will bring in new energy and impetus for PSUs, MSMEs and other industries to market their products widely and help Kerala industries go global under the ‘Kerala Brand’ tag.
ONDC, which goes beyond the current platform-centric digital commerce model, is a platform for entrepreneurs to feature their products on multiple marketplaces seamlessly and can be sold through several e-commerce platforms across the country.
Launched in 2021 to develop open e-commerce, ONDC is building a digital network for the e-commerce industry that allows any online seller to connect with any buyer in the country. The initiative aims at promoting open networks for all aspects of the exchange of goods and services over digital or electronic networks.
Functioning similarly to Unified Payments Interface (UPI), ONDC aims to make e-commerce more inclusive and accessible for consumers.
Kerala Biz News