Artisan Empowerment

In J&K, the role of artisans is particularly crucial given the region’s rich tradition of handcrafts and the current economic challenges. The recent initiatives by the Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organisation (JKTPO), in collaboration with Invest India’s One District One Product (ODOP) team, aim to empower these artisans by facilitating their onboarding onto the Government e-Marketplace (GeM). Artisans in Jammu and Kashmir are known for their exquisite craftsmanship in products like Pashmina shawls, carpets, papier-mâché, and woodwork. However, despite their immense potential, many artisans face challenges such as lack of market access, unfair pricing, and the dominance of middlemen who often take a large share of their earnings. This has led to economic instability for many artisans, making it difficult for them to sustain their traditional crafts. To address these challenges, the JKTPO, in association with Invest India, has launched an onboarding drive for artisans on the GeM platform. The GeM is an online platform for public procurement in India, which allows government departments to procure goods and services from registered sellers. By registering on GeM, artisans can receive direct orders from government departments, thus minimizing the role of middlemen and ensuring fair prices. The initiative’s primary goal is to reach the grassroots level, promoting local products and educating artisans about the benefits of selling on e-commerce platforms. By doing so, artisans can expand their market reach beyond local and national boundaries. The JKTPO, along with the District Administration Srinagar and leading e-commerce players, on Thursday organized an e-commerce onboarding drive at the Banquet Hall in Srinagar. The event aimed to boost the economic potential of local entrepreneurs, including women entrepreneurs, retailers, exporters, and farmer producer organizations (FPOs). The drive saw the active participation of 200 individuals. During the event, experts conducted detailed sessions on the advantages of e-commerce platforms. These sessions were instrumental in educating the participants about the benefits of online marketplaces, such as broader market access, increased sales, and direct customer interactions. On-spot registrations were conducted, with 25 participants successfully onboarded for free, and many others initiating the process. The onboarding drive aligns with JKTPO’s commitment to supporting local exporters by providing diverse marketing platforms and forward linkages. Representatives from JKTPO emphasized the importance of the ODOP and District Export Hub (DEH) initiatives. These initiatives focus on promoting unique products from each district, thereby enhancing their marketability and ensuring that artisans receive the recognition and compensation they deserve. One of the highlights of the event was the one-on-one onboarding sessions. These sessions provided artisans and sellers with hands-on assistance to register on the GeM portal, ensuring a smooth and swift integration into the marketplace. This direct approach helped in addressing specific queries and challenges faced by the artisans, making the process more efficient and effective. The GeM platform offers a solution to this problem by providing direct access to government procurement opportunities without any fees or GST charges. This not only ensures fair pricing but also opens up a significant market for artisans’ products.