Sri Vijaya Puram | November 12, 2026
The Directorate of Industries, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, organised a one-day, hands-on Capacity-Building Workshop on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) on Thursday at its Conference Hall in Sri Vijaya Puram, with the objective of helping the Sagarika team take its products live on the ONDC platform.
The workshop was attended by officials and staff of A&N Emporium Sagarika, along with beneficiaries and sellers associated with the emporium.
Addressing the gathering, Ms. Ritu Singh, Director of Industries, said that joining ONDC would enable the Sagarika Government Emporium to transform from a locally focused, tourist-dependent marketplace into a digital storefront accessible to customers across the country.
She highlighted that local artisans engaged in making handicrafts from wood, coconut shells and seashells have traditionally depended largely on seasonal tourist footfall to sell their products. Through ONDC, these artisans would be able to overcome geographical barriers and reach customers across India through ONDC-compatible applications, potentially creating year-round market opportunities and improving livelihood stability.
Mr. Praveen Choudhary, Vice-President, ONDC, and Ms. Tamanna Sharma, Programme Manager, ONDC, also addressed the gathering and extended their good wishes to the initiative. They explained that ONDC offers a cost-effective alternative to conventional e-commerce platforms by reducing dependence on high commission-based models and providing multilingual digital support. This would help island artisans market their handicrafts at fair prices while retaining a larger share of their earnings.
The technical sessions began with a recap of the recommended operational model for Sagarika, envisaging it as an umbrella brand and aggregator supported by a seller application and mainland warehousing facilities.
Five sessions were subsequently conducted, covering product cataloguing and packaging, marketing and visibility, logistics and warehousing, pricing strategies, and a live demonstration of the white-label seller application.
Participants received practical guidance on preparing product listings, complying with labelling and other requirements, improving product visibility across the ONDC network, transporting stock from Sri Vijaya Puram to the mainland, and developing pricing strategies that safeguard producers’ earnings. The demonstration also familiarised the Sagarika team with the functioning of the seller application.
The workshop further provided clarity to the Sagarika team and departmental officials on the support to be extended by ONDC during the onboarding process.
The Department of Industries expressed its appreciation to the ONDC team for visiting the Islands and extending support towards creating awareness about the initiative among local artisans and helping them explore wider digital market opportunities.
