GURUGRAM/ DELHI NCR: As part of ongoing efforts under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) to strengthen village e-commerce and enhance income opportunities for rural women, Flipkart conducted a hands-on digital marketing and e-commerce onboarding workshop for Self-Help Group (SHG) women entrepreneurs at the ongoing SARAS Aajeevika Mela in Gurugram.
The SARAS Aajeevika Mela is bringing together over 900 women Self-Help Group entrepreneurs from more than 28 States and Union Territories, with over 450 stalls showcasing rural crafts, handloom and traditional food products.
The workshop focused on practical aspects of account setup, product listing, catalogue management and digital marketing strategies, including social media promotion, WhatsApp-based outreach and basic analytics to improve sales performance. Through live demonstrations and interactive guidance, SHG members were oriented on expanding their businesses beyond local exhibitions and accessing wider markets through online platforms.
The session forms part of the continuing collaboration between the Ministry of Rural Development and Flipkart, established through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2021, aimed at enabling SHG producers, artisans and rural entrepreneurs to access digital marketplaces through the Flipkart Samarth programme.
Under this collaboration, SHG members and clusters are supported with onboarding and training assistance, cataloguing support, account and warehouse management guidance, and facilitation measures such as commission waivers for a specified period and assistance in product listing, thereby easing their entry into e-commerce ecosystems.
As highlighted in the Government of India’s initiative on “Growth of Village e-Commerce for Strengthening Rural Economy,” efforts are being undertaken to promote onboarding of SHGs across various e-commerce platforms including Flipkart, GeM and ONDC, alongside strengthening the e-SARAS portal and expanding rural broadband connectivity through BharatNet.
In addition to the Flipkart-led session, the Training and Knowledge Management Pavilion will host a series of thematic sessions in the coming days. On 19 February, focused discussions on e-commerce business strategies, scaling of sales and income enhancement for SHGs are scheduled. Subsequent sessions up to 26 February will cover logistics integration, certification support, soil health advisory services, livestock and fisheries schemes, and innovative livelihood technologies relevant to women Self-Help Groups.
(India CSR)
