IIM Sambalpur, Flipkart join hands to promote weavers, artisans

Amid the ongoing pandemic situation, the signing of the MoU took place virtually between Director of IIM-S Mahadeo Jaiswal and chief corporate affairs officer of Flipkart Rajneesh Kumar in presence of Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation Usha Padhee.

The Indian Institute of Management-Sambalpur (IIM-S) joined hands with e-commerce giant Flipkart. The collaboration has taken place in order to promote works of weavers and artisans through the digital platform.

Amid the ongoing pandemic situation, the signing of the MoU took place virtually between Director of IIM-S Mahadeo Jaiswal and chief corporate affairs officer of Flipkart Rajneesh Kumar in presence of Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation Usha Padhee.

Under this partnership, Flipkart and IIM-S small businesses, artisans and weavers will be supported and promoted by leveraging technology, e-commerce platform, and market insights. As part of the MoU, IIM-S will identify clusters of artisans and weavers within Odisha to put them on board with Flipkart’s Samarth program connecting their businesses to a pan-India customer base, the institute said.

The partnership will also enable opportunities for artisans and weavers to receive training on business management, marketing, and accounting by IIM-S besides researching their pain points and challenges. Flipkart has partnered with several states across the country including Odisha for the Samarth initiative.

The partnership with the Odisha government’s State Institute for Development of Arts and Crafts (SIDAC) is helping renowned Odia brands such as Boyanika, Utkalika, and Sambalpuri Bastralaya among others to access the pan-India marketplace through Flipkart.

Talking about the collaboration between IIM-S and Flipkart, Jaiswal said, “Through our partnership with Flipkart, we will be solving certain fundamental challenges faced by the weaver community by offering them business insights while bringing them online through Flipkart’s Samarth initiative. Such industry-academia collaboration for artisans and weavers is first-of-its-kind in India. It highlights the inclusive vision of IIM Sambalpur, which is taking definitive steps to improve their lives.” 

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