Goyal had recently unveiled the unabridged ODOP Gift Catalogue containing 300-plus products and ODOP Storefront on GeM (Government e-Marketplace) in New Delhi.

The ODOP storefront on GeM went live with 75 categories covering products across states and UTs. The purpose of the storefront is to enable direct procurement of ODOP products for gifting/ office use by various line ministries, government bodies, and foreign missions abroad, India's ministry of commerce and industry said in a press release.

Referring to the success that ODOP has seen in several states like Uttar Pradesh, Goyal said that convergence or 'samanvay' is a critical factor that would propel the success of ODOP. He recommended that flagship programmes of the government such as Startup India, Make in India, district as export hubs, etc be converged with the vision of ODOP.

Goyal opined that the G20 summit, which is set to take place in India soon, is a great opportunity to showcase ODOP products. He suggested that the delegates of G20 be presented with ODOP products through well curated exhibitions of good quality ODOP products and tours of craft villages.

The minister also called upon students of eminent institutions like NIFT, NID and IIFT to find creative methods to amplify ODOP. The minister also dwelt upon the need to brand ODOP products, most of which are natural and eco-friendly as sustainable and good for the planet. In this context, he also called for the expansion of the list of GI tagged products by simplifying, streamlining, and fast tracking the GI tagging process.

Goyal proposed five action agendas to make ODOP a true game changer. He advised that the ODOP catalogue be made exhaustive to serve as a one-stop gifting destination for ministries, missions, state governments, and industry. He added that the catalogue must serve as a high-quality database of high-quality suppliers. He asked states to get ODOP products catalogued in a manner that improves access and selection and to undertake search engine optimisation.

Goyal added that there was a need to hold training sessions to help weavers/artisans with GeM onboarding and cataloguing. He proposed that common service centres and post offices could be leveraged to provide this training.

Calling for greater international engagement, the minister said that ODOP must form a part of international exhibitions, events, meetings, and conferences. He asked Indian missions to ensure that ODOP products received international attention.

Secretary, department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT), Anurag Jain, who was also present at the launch, highlighted the ways in which the ODOP initiative is working to transform the lives of artisans, women, craftsmen, and farmers. He also spoke about the various programmes being undertaken including exhibitions, buyer-seller meets, and registration drives.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)