AMAZON INDIA SHARES 'NEW INITIATIVE' TO HELP OVER 10 LAKH ENTREPRENEURS: REPORT 

E-commerce giant Amazon India announced that it is extending a 100 percent SoA (Sell on Amazon) fee waiver for 10 weeks. This move is aimed at helping over 10 lakh artisans, weavers and women entrepreneurs, who have been affected by the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. 

This help is part of the e-commerce giant’s new initiative Stand for Handmade, specifically to Amazon's 'Karigar' and 'Saheli' programmes.

According to a Economic Times report, this initiative will help over 10 lakh entrepreneurs in which there are more than 8 lakh artisans and weavers from Amazon Karigar program and over 2.8 lakh women entrepreneurs from Amazon Saheli program. 

While speaking to ET Digital, Pranav Bhasin, Head - MSME Empowerment & Seller Experience, Amazon India, said: “There are multiple things that have impacted all businesses. For example, during covid time frame, suppliers started asking for money upfront and therefore merchant capital became more critical in just running the business."

"The logistics of doing business offline got completely impacted. For Karigars and weavers, a lot of the business we used to do was dependent on the offline haats and since those haats were not organised and prepared for the supply chain disruption, there was no way for them to bring products to customers," Bhasin added.

The name - Stand for Handmade is solely dedicated to help generate customer demand for the locally crafted, handmade products from Karigar and Saheli sellers. Interested customers can purchase products from artisans and women entrepreneurs from different parts of the country by visiting specific pages on the concerned sites. 

Meanwhile, Gopal Pillai, Vice President, Seller Services at Amazon India said: “The artisan & weaver community and women entrepreneurs have been amongst the most impacted by COVID-19. The initiative will help generate demand for their products online while helping them with working capital needs as they look to rebound from the economic disruption caused by this unprecedented pandemic.”

The store online showcases traditional handicrafts & handlooms along with highlighting stories of craftsmen and their works. Till date, Amazon.in has partnered with 22 Government Emporiums and five Government bodies to increase market connectivity in the country, ET further reports.