A year later, govt's plan to enter e-retail remains a non-starter

Bharat Craft portal planned by the MSME ministry to help small biz, rural and tribal communities still not ready

More than a year after being announced, the government’s proposal to create an online e-marketplace similar to Amazon, which would be open to all consumers, is yet to take off due to lack of a business plan, the unavailability of a technology partner, and shortage of funds.

In August 2019, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Nitin Gadkari had named the portal Bharat Craft, which was given the go ahead by the Prime Minister’s Office. Officially set to be the government’s first foray into the private sector, initial estimates had eyed Rs 10 trillion worth of revenue from the project