New Delhi: In an attempt to access a maximum customer base and compete with big-ticket retailers and e-commerce platforms, the government on Wednesday for the first time, unveiled a pilot project to onboard 11 fair price shops (FPS) in the Una and Hamirpur districts of Himachal Pradesh onto the open network digital commerce or ONDC platform. The initiative, however, aims at providing additional avenues of income generation for FPS dealers along with enhancing the beneficiary’s satisfaction as well.
The Centre has been pushing for greater retail participation on ONDC platform for a long time to expand its reach. Announcing this initiative, Sanjeev Chopra, secretary, department of food and public distribution, said that the landmark initiative added to the continuous efforts of the department to transform the fair price shop across the country. He virtually initiated a pilot to connect six such shops in Hamirpur district and five in Una district. “This effort aims at providing additional avenues of income generation to FPS dealers along with enhancing beneficiary satisfaction,” he said.
The government supplies food grain and other essential commodities through fair price, or ration, shops to the beneficiaries at a lower price. “Himachal Pradesh pilot’s success would serve as a model for future adoption on a state and national level. The initiative provides numerous benefits for FPS dealers including visibility in the digital marketplace, access to a larger customer base beyond the beneficiaries and the ability to compete on an equal footing with large retailers and e-commerce platforms,” Chopra said.
The ONDC, a non-profit company established by the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) to develop open e-commerce, was incorporated on December 31, 2021, and goes beyond the current platform-centric digital commerce model where the buyer and seller have to use the same platform or application to be digitally visible and do a business transaction. With this initiative by the government, almost all beneficiaries who face difficulties in making online purchases, can approach the FPS dealer to make online orders on their behalf.
