Lok Sabha Question No. 3455 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-17
Subject: Training of Rural Business  Owners in e-Commerce Skills
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Shri Shashank Mani

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3455. TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 17 TH  DECEMBER, 2024.

## TRAINING OF RURAL BUSINESS OWNERS IN e-COMMERCE SKILLS

## 3455.  SHRI SHASHANK MANI:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has data on the number of rural entrepreneurs in Uttar Pradesh who are actively using e-commerce platforms to reach wider markets;
- (b) if so, the details thereof including the existing programme, if any, to train rural business  owners  in  e-commerce  skills  such  as  digital  marketing  and  online sales; and
- (c) whether the Government is planning additional initiatives to promote digital entrepreneurship in rural areas and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री ( श्री णिणिन प्रसाद ) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

- (a) & (b): Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has on-boarded products of 2253 rural entrepreneurs  in  Uttar  Pradesh  on  various  e-Commerce  platforms  under Deendayal  Antyodaya  Yojana-National  Rural  Livelihoods  Mission  (DAYNRLM) for wider market reach.

802 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) from the state of Uttar Pradesh have  been  onboarded  on  Open  Network  for  Digital  Commerce  (ONDC) network, enabling them to reach nationwide market.

In addition to the above, several rural entrepreneurs in Uttar Pradesh may be using e-commerce platforms for their business voluntarily for which data is not available centrally.

The  Government  has  taken  up  several  measures  for  training  the  rural business owners in e-commerce skills such as:

-  The  National  Institute  for  Entrepreneurship  and  Small  Business Development (NIESBUD), an Autonomous Institute under the administrative control of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Meta on 4th September, 2023 to support the  Indian  entrepreneurial  ecosystem.  The  aim  of  the  MoU  is  to provide aspiring and current small business owners with the necessary tools, knowledge, and resources and to train budding and existing entrepreneurs in digital marketing skills by Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Approximately 22,000 NIESBUD trainees

under the above programs have been trained on digital marketing by Meta.

-  NIESBUD  has  also,  in  collaboration  with  Meta  Small  Business Academy (MSBA), developed four online courses on Digital Marketing Skills available in both English and Hindi. 8707 trainees have been imparted training through these online courses.
-  Trainings are also regularly conducted for Self Help Group (SHG) by Ministry of Rural Development under Deendayal Antyodaya YojanaNational  Rural  Livelihoods  Mission  (DAY-NRLM)  with  e-Commerce Partners on supply chain, branding, packing, logistics, on-boarding on e-Commerce platforms etc.
- (c): Department  of  Promotion  for  Industry  and  Internal  Trade  (DPIIT)  has pioneered the initiative of Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). The initiative  aims  at  democratising  digital  commerce  to  enable  every  seller, MSME, merchant, farmers and consumer to access, participate and benefit from market access through digital commerce. ONDC is engaging in various initiatives to promote digital entrepreneurship in rural areas as given below:
-  The UP government and ONDC have signed a MoU to scale up the growth  and  development  of  small  businesses  by  enhancing  their market reach.
-  ONDC partnered  with  the  Ministry  of  Electronics  and  Information Technology's  network  of  Common  Services  Centers  (CSCs)  to connect every village in India to the national digital market and is unlocking Assisted e-Commerce across rural India.
-  Small Farmers' Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) is working with ONDC  to  support  Farmer  Producer  Organisations  (FPOs).  More than 7000 FPOs have already been onboarded on ONDC enabling them to sell their produce in 60+ cities across India. This initiative provides farmers and FPO enterprises with digital empowerment and market access.
-  Prasar Bharati is working with ONDC to bundle broadband services with  OTT  and  e-commerce  platforms  for  rural  India  riding  on BharatNet infrastructure under the Universal Service Obligation fund (USOF).  This  includes  enabling  shopping  on  WAVES,  Prasar Bharati's  OTT  platform,  integrated  with  ONDC's  digital  commerce framework  to  enable  sale  of  products  and  services,  bridging  the digital divide for rural sellers.
-  The Ministry of MSME has launched a MSME Trade Enablement and Marketing (TEAM) Scheme, designed to onboard 5 lakh Small and  Medium  Enterprises  (SMEs)  onto  ONDC  with  50%  of  its beneficiaries designated to be women-owned enterprises.
-  ONDC is  supporting  Self-Help  Groups  (SHGs)  and  social  sector organizations with support from SIDBI and philanthropic agencies like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Grameen, Sattva etc enabling them to transition to digital platforms and sell their products through ONDC. BMGF has also initiated a program to empower 1 million women entrepreneurs through ONDC.

Ministry of Rural Development under DAY-NRLM has entered into MoUs with different online platforms namely Flipkart Internet Pvt. Ltd., Amazon,

Fashnear Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Meesho) and Jiomart respectively for onboarding and marketing of SHG products.

In  addition,  MoU has also been signed between the MoRD and Easytrip Planners Ltd. for conducting a pilot for supporting SHG members for setting up and managing travel booking enterprises in the States of Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

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