Flipkart signs MoU with Karnataka govt to Promote local art, craft and handlooms

Homegrown e-commerce marketplace Flipkart on Friday said it has signed an MoU with Karnataka MSME and Mines department to promote the states arts, crafts and handloom sectors by bringing them on to e-commerce and providing market access.

The partnership under the Flipkart Samarth programme will enable local artisans, weavers and craftsmen of Karnataka to showcase their hallmark products to a pan-India customer base, the company said in a release. Both the Government of Karnataka and the Flipkart Group will focus on creating avenues to increase business and trade inclusion opportunities for these underserved segments of the society, thereby adding further thrust to Made in India efforts, it said.

The partnership will see renowned Karnataka based brands- Cauvery - Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation and Priyadarshini Handlooms, part of Karnataka Handlooms Development Corporation joining the Flipkart Samarth programme. "The collaboration with Flipkart will be instrumental in driving commercial and social development in the state. This partnership will help in taking the local handicrafts and handlooms businesses of Karnataka to a national consumer base," Principal Secretary, Department of MSME and Mines, Maheshwar Rao said.

He said MSMEs in the state will also benefit from skills of branding, digital marketing and financial management while showcasing the locally made high-quality products.

Flipkart said its Samarth programme seeks to break entry barriers for artisans by extending time-bound incubation support, which includes benefits in the form of onboarding, free cataloguing, marketing, account management, business insights and warehousing support.

"These are challenging times, and as a homegrown platform, we believe it is our responsibility to boost local businesses and catalyse ecosystem partnerships to help transform them," Flipkart Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Rajneesh Kumar said.