As of January, ONDC has processed over 6.75 million cumulative orders since its inception.
The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) under the Union commerce ministry has initiated a pilot program in Himachal Pradesh to integrate fair price shops into the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), as stated by the network’s chief executive T Koshy. ONDC is an open source initiative aiming at promoting open networks for exchange of goods and services over digital or electronic networks.
This pilot is supported by the DFPD with MicroSave providing assistance to fair price shops and nStore serving as the technology partner. It aims to improve the accessibility of groceries and essential goods for consumers in remote areas through the ONDC platform, thereby increasing the revenue and usage of fair price shops.
Launched on February 6, the pilot currently involves 11 fair price shops across Una and Hamirpur districts in Himachal Pradesh, with plans to extend the program throughout the state and eventually nationwide. This initiative allows consumers to purchase household groceries, typically available at kirana stores, through fair price shops on ONDC, using buyer apps such as Paytm.
MicroSave, a consulting firm based in Lucknow, has previously collaborated with the National Payments Corporation of India and several public sector banks to foster a cashless ecosystem in selected villages. nStore, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive digital solution for order management and customer engagement to retailers in the unorganised sector.
As of January, ONDC has processed over 6.75 million cumulative orders since its inception, with nearly equal distribution between mobility and non-mobility orders. Chennai Metro has recently become the first metro service in India to join ONDC, with Kochi Metro expected to follow suit. Facilitated by the ride-hailing app Yaary, this integration enables seamless metro connectivity and mobility services via the ONDC network.
