Integration of One District One Product initiative with Open Network for Digital Commerce will help to expand its reach says Piyush Goyal
Flagship programs of the Government must be converged with ODOP – Goyal
ODOP to help take prosperity to the remotest regions of the nation – Goyal
ODOP to form a part of international exhibitions, events, meetings and
conferences to enhance international exposure of products- Goyal
Minister calls for simplifying, streamlining and fast tracking the GI tagging
process
Union Minister
for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and
Textiles, Piyush Goyal today called for the integration of One District One
Product (ODOP) initiative with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). The
Minister said that ONDC would help in further expanding the frontiers of ODOP
by bringing buyers and sellers together on a democratic platform. He was
delivering his address after unveiling the unabridged ODOP Gift Catalogue
containing 300 plus products and ODOP Storefront on GeM in New Delhi today.
Terming ODOP
as an earnest effort to highlight the tremendous potential that the rich culture
and tradition that India has to offer, he said that India's districts and
villages are home to crores of talented weavers, artisans and craftsmen.
The Minister
observed that for many decades, the fruits of development were asymmetric and
confined to some regions. He underscored that there has been a fundamental
shift in thinking of the government in the last 8 years and said that ODOP is
aligned with this vision of taking prosperity to each and every part of the
country.
Goyal
stressed that India can't develop unless remotest corners of the nation are
also equal stake holders in development and benefits equally from fruits of
progress. He expressed confidence that ODOP would help bring prosperity
to those at the bottom of the pyramid.
Quoting
the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Goyal said that each district of our country
has a potential equal to that of one country…We need to understand this power
and channelize this potential.
Referring to the success that ODOP has seen in several
states like Uttar Pradesh, the Minister said that convergence or 'samanvay' is
a critical factor that would propel the success of ODOP. Goyal asked that
flagship programs of the government such as Startup India, Make in India,
district as export hubs etc. be converged with the vision of ODOP. He asked all
the Ministries of GoI to help further expand the mandate of ODOP through
complementary initiatives.
The Minister asked Ministries, Departments and other
government bodies to consider ODOP products exclusively for gifting purposes
both within and outside India. He opined that the G20 summit which is set to
take place in India soon is a great opportunity to showcase ODOP Products. He
suggested that the delegates of G20 be given an exposure to ODOP products
through well curated exhibitions of good quality ODOP products and tours of
craft villages.
Goyal also called upon students of eminent institutions
like NIFT, NID and IIFT to find creative methods to amplify ODOP. The Minister
also dwelt upon the need to brand ODOP products, most of which are natural and
eco-friendly as sustainable and good for the planet. In this context Goyal
also called for expansion of the list of GI tagged products by simplifying,
streamlining and fast tracking the GI tagging process.
The Minister also called for the expansion of
availability of genuine ODOP products to counter fakes in the market and said
that strict action must be taken against those who sell counterfeit products.
For arts and crafts that are in crisis because of the less number of artisans
engaged in their production, Goyal said that more and more artisans must be
trained to take up these crafts so that they may be safeguarded.
Goyal proposed 5 action agendas to make ODOP a true game
changer. He asked that the ODOP catalog be made exhaustive to serve as a one
stop gifting destination for Ministries, Missions, State Governments and
Industry. He added that the catalogue must serve as a high quality database of
high quality suppliers. He asked states to get ODOP products catalogued in a
manner that it improves access and selection and to undertake Search Engine
Optimization.
Speaking
of the need to improve packaging, Shri Goyal said that each ODOP product has a
unique story and characteristics which should be highlighted. He added
that there was a need to hold training sessions to help weavers/artisans with
GeM onboarding and cataloguing. He opined that Common Service Centres and Post
Offices could be leveraged to provide this training.
Calling
for greater international engagement, the Minister said that ODOP must form a
part of international exhibitions, events, meetings and conferences. He asked
Indian Missions to ensure that ODOP products received international attention.
The
Minister asked that for festivals and celebrations, people of the nation must
consider gifting at least one ODOP product to friends and family. I believe
this is an opportune time to plan and execute this project, in order to realize
our collective vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat in this Amrit Kaal, he said.
The ODOP storefront on GeM went live with 75 categories
covering products across states and UTs. The purpose of the storefront is to
enable direct procurement of ODOP products for gifting/ office use by various
line ministries, government bodies, and foreign missions abroad. This will
enable an international audience for India’s rich and diverse products.
Secretary,
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Anurag Jain,
who was also present at the launch, highlighted the ways in which the ODOP
initiative is working to transform the lives of artisans, women, craftsmen, and
farmers. He also spoke about the various programs being undertaken including
exhibitions, buyer-seller meets, and registration drives.
Textiles Secretary UP Singh, several senior officers of Government
of India, states and UTs, Industry Associations and other dignitaries were
present at the ceremony.