CSC invests in ONDC to promote e-commerce and logistics in rural areas

Common Services Centers, under the Ministry of Electronics & IT, has invested in the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to promote e-commerce and logistics in rural areas.

Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and is based on an open protocol. It will enable buyers and sellers across segments, such as mobility, grocery, food order and delivery, hotel booking and travel, to be visible and transact.

The platform aims to create new opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises and small traders by helping them get on online platforms.

Apart from investing in the platform, CSC will also integrate its e-commerce application, CSC Grameen eStore with ONDC to support the rural e-commerce market. The integration will help small and medium enterprises and local businesses in rural areas to access customers across the country.

Elaborating on the partnership, Dinesh Tyagi, MD, CSC SPV, said, “It is for the first time that CSC has invested in an initiative like this. ONDC will democratise digital commerce by moving to an open network. According to an Accenture report, rural customers are increasingly aspiring to buy branded products. With the CSC Grameen eStore being integrated with ONDC, companies can look towards reaching out to the rural market through the network of over 3 lakh Grameen eStores across the country."

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