India Post has been asked to develop a framework to facilitate local artisans sell their products online, Telecom and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
“I have asked India Post to develop framework where India artisan like in Kashi, handloom of Meerut, artisans at Tirupur can leverage postal environment to become big brand in e-commerce,” Prasad said at an event organised by Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad on public policy making.
The minister had on Wednesday met Department of Posts officials, where they shared India Post’s plans to tap opportunities in the e-commerce sector.
India Post, which has world’s largest postal network of 1.55 lakh post offices, has seen multifold rise in business since the time it entered in partnership with e-commerce companies.
As per industry estimates shared by India Posts, e-commerce business in India was about USD 6 billion in value in 2012 and is expected to reach USD 76 billion by 2021.
The distribution, delivery or logistics is projected to constitute about 12 per cent of the total e-commerce market, accounting for about USD 9 billion by 2021.
Prasad said government policy needs to balance growth and equity and be participative in nature. “We need to come up with framework which is not unilateral and is participative.”
The minister shared example of Jan Dhan Yojana which has resulted in opening of about 70 million new bank accounts within couple of months and getting public idea through ‘mygov.In’ website.
“There was no requirement to deposit single penny in bank account opened under Jan Dhan Yojana but people deposited about Rs 6,000 crore in total,” Prasad said.
He said that policy should not be directed top-down but it should emanate from bottom and go up.
He sought suggestions from IIM and other academic institutes in formulating policy that can be inclusive of people and bring growth along with equity.
IIM-A Chairperson for marketing Dhreeraj Sharma said that the institute is discussing various management strategies and systemic interventions which can help government deliver their plans and policies in the most expeditious and effective manner.
“We hope that discussions and interactions during the course of this conference will result in the creation of the sentiment with reference to development and implementation of public policy,” Sharma said.
