Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (Photo: PTI)
E-commerce platforms have given a boost to the Uttar Pradesh government’s efforts to enhance packaging and export capabilities and promote the Centre’s One District One Product (ODOP) scheme, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday.
The chief minister said the state is focused on enhancing packaging and export capabilities by leveraging design, technology and market access and also asked businesses to take advantage of the state’s warehousing policy, according to an official statement.
“We were focused on enhancing packaging and export capabilities by leveraging design, technology and market access. However, the work of giving it further traction came when Flipkart Group joined us,” Adityanath said at an event at Lok Bhavan, where he virtually inaugurated Flipkart’s two new warehouses in Unnao and Varanasi.
He also highlighted how these platforms foster healthy competition and empower all citizens, whether in urban or rural areas, to reach global markets.
He said the ODOP scheme gained global recognition when Flipkart Group started providing services as an e-commerce platform.
The Prime Minister further said that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have been a cornerstone of the state’s economy for centuries.
However, over the past decades, the sector has faced difficulties due to the lack of adaptation to changing demands in technology, design and packaging, coupled with the absence of a concrete action plan.
“When our government came to power in 2017, we received guidance from Prime Minister Modi, which led to a comprehensive mapping of the SME sector in the state. This initiative paved the way for the promotion of local products under the One District, One Product scheme,” he added.
“Uttar Pradesh, with the highest number of SME units in the country (between 9 and 9.6 million), has been at the forefront in supporting small businesses. The state is also the first to provide a security insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh to entrepreneurs associated with each SME unit,” he added.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the job creation potential offered by these facilities, saying that these “developments foster healthy competition and open the door to numerous opportunities, reducing the risk of fraud and improving market fairness.”
He said the ‘Mukhya Mantri Yuva Udyami’ scheme is paving the way for the creation of 1 million new businesses, with Flipkart acting as a trusted partner to bring their products to market.
The two new warehouses will help instill more confidence among entrepreneurs in Uttar Pradesh while creating new employment opportunities, he said.
The warehouses in Unnao, connected to the state capital Lucknow, and in Varanasi, the spiritual capital of Uttar Pradesh, represent “a major step forward,” the prime minister said.
“These logistics centres not only generate employment on a large scale but also empower the MSME units in the state by providing them a pan-India reach,” he said.
The newly inaugurated facility, covering over 500,000 sq ft of warehouse space, includes a FC (fulfilment centre) and sortation centre in Unnao, and a sortation centre along with a grocery FC in Varanasi, Flipkart said in a statement.
The expansion aims to create more than 3,600 direct and indirect employment opportunities and support local MSMEs, the company said.
Walmart-backed Flipkart has so far created over 700,000 direct and indirect jobs in Uttar Pradesh with over 65 facilities, it added.
“With our strategic investments in Uttar Pradesh and our extensive market ecosystem, we aim to empower local communities, MSMEs, farmers and ancillary businesses by supporting their digital transformation journey.
“Through key initiatives like Flipkart Samarth, Samarth Krishi and the launch of new FCs in the state, Flipkart is creating thousands of employment opportunities, thereby supporting Uttar Pradesh’s goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2027,” said Rajneesh Kumar, Head – Corporate Affairs, Flipkart Group.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: August 30, 2024 | 10:31 PM IS
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