In ODOP push, Centre asks states to onboard most products on GeM

G20 Presidency an opportunity to showcase ODOP products

In an attempt to promote local artisans and give international visibility to their indigenous products, the Centre has asked states to onboard a large number of products from various emporia and artisans on the government’s public procurement portal — Government e-Marketplace (GeM).

India assuming the Group of Twenty Presidency within the next two weeks will also be an opportunity to showcase One District One Product (ODOP) products, especially with delegates visiting the country.

Products from the ODOP programme were used for the purpose of diplomatic gifting by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Group of Seven summit in June.

The government’s idea is to make the GeM portal the platform from which these products can be procured by various government departments, as well as missions abroad, said a senior government official.

Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has also been advising Indian missions abroad to make use of ODOP products for various official purposes, as well as gifting.

A meeting regarding the same also took place between top officials from the industry department and 15 states earlier this week, the official informed Business Standard, adding that initial meetings regarding the utilisation of the GeM portal for ODOP are scheduled in Rajasthan and Karnataka.

The ODOP initiative was launched with the expressed aim of turning every district into an export hub through promotion of the product, as well as identify the district with the product, based on its strength. This, in turn, can spur economic growth, generate employment, and revive local crafts. The initiative is also in line with the Prime Minister’s focus on presenting India’s art and crafts at a global level. 

ODOP was first launched by Uttar Pradesh nearly five years ago and was later adopted by the Centre.

“The ODOP team has been working on increasing the reach of India’s rich and diverse products internationally. For this purpose, the team has reached out to various Indian missions abroad for potential collaboration opportunities,” the official cited above said, adding there have been collaboration requests from 26 embassies, including Paris, New York, Sydney, Madrid, Doha, Hanoi, among others.

In the past, Goyal had also said that India is looking at getting duty-free access for different products identified under the government’s ODOP initiative to promote exports of gold jewellery, toys, handicrafts, and handlooms, among others.

Currently, India is negotiating trade agreements with the UK, Canada, and the European Union.

The government is also looking at an integration of the ODOP initiative with the Open Network for Digital Commerce, which can help by bringing buyers and sellers together on the same platform.