Piyush Goyal asks for ONDC pilot focused on non-digital traders, artisans

The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), the government’s alternative in India’s e-commerce market, should help non-digital traders, handicraft traders and artisans, said commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday.

Goyal asked the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to launch an ONDC pilot for offline traders in a single market as a separate exercise assists digitally enabled ones.

Goyal made the comments at an advisory council meeting of ONDC to review the ongoing pilot.

ONDC promotes open networks for exchange of goods and services over digital or electronic networks. According to statement by Goyal’s ministry, open networks are gaining traction in the ongoing pilot that started on April 29.