NITI Aayog to bring SMEs into e-com fold

New Delhi: NITI Aayog is considering the integration of small and medium enterprises (SME) on e-commerce platforms and creation of an online repository of product offerings by the Indian SMEs and has sought EoIs for a feasibility study of the same.

The government's think tank has in this direction recently invited expressions of interest (EoI) from research organisations and institutions, including universities and deemed universities, with a cost ceiling for the study at Rs 50 lakh. The terms of reference of the EoI includes, "the roadmap for integration of SMEs across India on e-commerce platforms by providing universal e-commerce access and its culmination as centralised online repository of Indian SMEs product offerings."

A public notice by the government body said that the data acquired can be leveraged by providing access to existing market places to offer the products repository for sale on their platforms. This also involves identification of gaps and measures needed for seamless integration of small businesses across e-commerce platforms for universal e-commerce access.

The EoI also seeks evaluation of existing market places managed by various government departments such as NSIC Bazar, VLE Bazar, msmemart.com, CSE Bazars, GeM and their revamping to support product and service identification process, digitisation of product and services through cataloguing.