Flipkart to Support Women SHGs, Craftsmen, and Weavers in Telangana

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 10 May 2022

To enroll women artisans, weavers, and handicraft producers from Telangana, India's homegrown e-commerce platform Flipkart signed a Terms of Understanding (ToU) with Aarunya, an initiative that helps women establish financial independence. Flipkart Samarth enables rural communities to promote their items on its e-commerce platform across India. The agreement was inked on Monday in the presence of KT Rama Rao, Telangana's Minister of Information Technology, Industries, Municipal Administration, and Urban Development."We are focussed on deepening our commitments towards the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the State and helping their growth," he stated.

"Partnership with Flipkart Samarth provides a great platform for capacity-building, enhancing and impacting rural livelihoods, especially for women. These partnerships will be instrumental in driving the commercial and social development in the State by creating inclusive growth," he added. Rajneesh Kumar SVP & Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Flipkart Group, said: "Our deeper engagement with local Indian businesses and MSMEs has enabled us to understand their challenges and needs better and help them become prosperous. With this partnership, we aim to uplift and empower women-led businesses in their growth ambition in Telangana."

Aarunya, the brand name for Narayanpet's well-known handlooms and handicrafts, is an initiative started during Covid-19 to assist local women in selling their specialised goods. The effort, which began with a small group of ten women, has grown into a full-fledged campaign to teach other women how to produce Kalamkari and black paintings. NABARD has granted Aarunya funds to conduct these training sessions. This collaboration between Flipkart and Aarunya will allow local artisans and handicraft makers in the region to market their signature products like Kalankari, black paintings, fig jam, and clay jewellery to millions of customers across India, allowing them to achieve financial independence.

Flipkart Samarth, which was launched in 2019, is a national project aimed at assisting skilled artisan communities in setting up their businesses on its marketplace in an efficient, transparent, and cost-effective manner. It presently supports over a million artisans, weavers, and craftsmen across India, and is trying to bring on more of these sellers.