Srinagar, Oct 7: The Jammu and Kashmir Khadi and Village Industries Board (J&K KVIB), in collaboration with Conserve India, Walmart Vriddhi and Udyam Well, organised a one-day workshop on e-commerce onboarding for Khadi and handicraft artisans from across the Kashmir Division.
The workshop aimed to onboard artisans with Walmart Vriddhi and Udyam Well and provide them with practical training on product cataloguing, photography, pricing, packaging, digital payments, inventory management, customer interaction and order fulfilment, enabling them to access wider markets through digital platforms.
The inaugural session was chaired by Commissioner Secretary, Industries & Commerce Department, Shri Vikramjeet Singh. Secretary/CEO J&K KVIB, senior officers of the Board, representatives of Conserve India and Udyam Well, besides a large number of artisans from different districts of Kashmir, attended the programme.
Speaking on the occasion, Commissioner Secretary Vikramjeet Singh welcomed the initiative and appreciated the efforts of the J&K KVIB leadership and officers in organising the workshop. He stressed the need to bridge the gap between social media presence and actual delivery to consumers, while urging artisans to focus on quality, authenticity, QR-based product identification and ONDC registration to expand their market reach.
Addressing the participants, Secretary/CEO J&K KVIB highlighted the Board’s support to artisans and entrepreneurs through schemes including PMEGP, JKREGP and SFURTI. He said that over the last five years, 6,346 handicraft units have received financial assistance of ₹141.2 crore, involving bank credit of ₹424 crore and generating employment for 50,768 persons.
Under SFURTI, he said, J&K KVIB currently has four clusters at Anantnag, Budgam, Pampore and Pattan, benefiting 1,905 artisans.
He described the workshop as an important step towards transforming the way artisans access markets, adding that handholding and capacity building are crucial for providing meaningful last-mile connectivity and helping local artisans benefit from the growing digital marketplace.
