On Thursday global retailer Walmart extended its MSME-focused Vridhi e-institute to Uttar Pradesh, starting with Agra. The platform will provide small businesses with access to skills and competencies through online and offline channels such as Flipkart’s marketplace and Walmart’s international supply chain to expand in a post-pandemic climate.
The goal of the platform is to empower 50,000 MSMEs nationally by providing them with unique training to exploit modern trade. Sidharth Nath Singh, Cabinet Minister for MSMEs, Investment & Export of Uttar Pradesh, said UP has about 90 lakh MSMEs, the highest in the country. Over the next five years, the platform aims to cross 50,000 MSMEs to join global and local supply chains, and I’m sure Uttar Pradesh’s own MSMEs will contribute greatly to this objective.
He said the program would not only increase the make-in-India initiative but will also provide more impetus for the ODOP (One District One Product) flagship program of UP. This is a great opportunity for MSMEs from Agra to take advantage of this program and develop their Indian and foreign markets. For our ODOP and other goods, our idea is to make Walmart the forward link. This will give our artisans a global marketing network,” he said, adding that the aim of the state government is to hit a $1 billion revenue target through the platform in the next five years.
Walmart said companies based in Uttar Pradesh will enter the Vriddhi training program to seek opportunities to sell on the online consumer marketplace of Flipkart and through the wholesale ecosystem of Flipkart nationwide.“As Walmart triples its exports from India to $10 billion annually by 2027, businesses with export ambitions can learn how to qualify as a Walmart Global Sourcing supplier, taking “make-in-India” products to the world,” the statement said.
“Walmart and Flipkart are helping artisans and entrepreneurs augment their Indian ingenuity with merchandising and logistics expertise and access to e-commerce customers across India and abroad. Growing MSME businesses create employment opportunities in local communities and puts them at the heart of make-in-India and digital India programs,” Leigh Hopkins, executive vice-president, International Strategy, Development, and Asia Region, Walmart International, said.
The first Vriddhi e-Institute opened in October 2020 in Haryana and serves MSMEs from the area of Panipat-Sonipat-Kundli.