ShopClues launches digital Skilling Workshops to empower MSME sector

Sessions conducted by experts from ShopClues, Go Daddy and Gati Ltd. on various aspects of E-Commerce and online retail

India CSR News Network

NEW DELHI: As a part of their nationwide digital skilling desktop under Saarthi, ShopClues, India’s first and largest online marketplace, today organised a seminar on ‘Digital Empowerment of MSMEs’ with support from MSME-DI (Development Institute) and Varanasi Commissionerate Office.

Nitin Ramesh Gokarn, Divisional Commissioner Varanasi – ‎Government of Uttar Pradesh; Umesh Kumar Singh, Joint Commissioner Industries – Varanasi, Government of Uttar Pradesh and V.K Verma, Deputy Director, MSME-DI Varanasi along with Sanjay Sethi, Co-Founder and CEO, ShopClues were present to support and create awareness about the significance of digitisation in MSME sector as it is the prime driver in India’s economic growth. The Valedictory Address was helmed by Mr. Yogeshwar Ram Mishra, District Magistrate, Varanasi.

The ShopClues merchant initiatives team introduced MSMEs to Saarthi – the digital enablement program that is aimed at educating and empowering Indian MSMEs to experience enhanced market access in the e-commerce environment. The workshop was also supported by Birla Sun Life Insurance, Gati Limited, a pioneer in Express Distribution and, supply chain solutions and Go Daddy, a domain registrar and web hosting brand, who joined hands with ShopClues to reinforce their vision of Digital India.

Commenting on the occasion, Sanjay Sethi, Co-Founder and CEO, ShopClues said, “We at ShopClues believe in the vision of India being the next economic superpower of the world. We also know that unless we are able to bring the 400 million people of middle India, that is people living in smaller towns and cities of the county i.e. “Bharat” into our economic mainstream, this vision will remain a dream. Via our “Saarthi” program ShopClues endeavours to digitize & empower lakhs of MSMEs and bring them into the economic mainstream of the country.”

“We are very proud of the fact that we have already, influenced lives of more than 5 Lakh MSMEs but our work has barely begun.  I would like to thank MSME –DI and the Government of Uttar Pradesh for their support for Saarthi. ShopClues is confident that India’s MSME community will benefit from this initiative and use it to take control of not only their economic empowerment but also participate more directly in nation building.”, he added.

Umesh Kumar Singh, Joint Commissioner Industries – Varanasi, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, said, “Small and medium enterprises constitute more than 80% of the Indian retail sector, and, if guided well, they can shape the future of our country. In the vast un-tapped universe of burgeoning businesses in our country, only a miniscule percentage have been able to take their wares online so far. The government of Uttar Pradesh has always taken initiatives to understand and encourage these businesses, especially from the vibrant city of Varanasi, to bring their businesses online for more market access and recognition. I would like to thank ShopClues for working towards the development of small and medium enterprises with initiatives like Saarthi. This skilling and development program specifically designed around digital opportunities will serve as a huge boost to the art of weaving from Varanasi, giving artisans a national platform”

Another pre-event was organised on June 1, 2017 by the Shopclues team with the Weaver Service Centre (WSC) to register their weavers on-the-spot on Shopclues.com and impart training on online selling. Attended by more than 50 traditional weavers of Varanasi, a session was organized by the MSME experts of ShopClues to help them grow and understand the benefits of online selling.