The government-run Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) facilitated 7.22 million transactions in April and onboarded over 500,000 sellers, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) announced on Friday. Among these sellers, more than 70 percent are small or medium-sized enterprises. To date, at least 12 unicorns and over 125 startups have committed to onboarding ONDC, as highlighted at the ONDC Startup Mahotsav event. ONDCs Rapid Growth The ONDC network has rapidly grown and matured over the past one and a half years. Todays session reflects both the DPIITs and industrys commitment to democratizing digital commerce in India, said Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, DPIIT.The event saw participation from around 5,000 startups in a hybrid format. Over 125 stakeholders, including startups, unicorns, and high-growth businesses such as EaseMyTrip, OfBusiness, Winzo, Livspace, GlobalBees, Pristyn Care, Cars24, Physics Wallah, PolicyBazaar, and Zerodha, signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) during the event. Empowering Startups The ONDC Startup Mahotsav marks a pivotal moment in Indias digital transformation journey. By fostering collaboration and innovation within our ecosystem, we are empowering startups to redefine the rules of the game in e-commerce, said T. Koshy, MD, and CEO, ONDC.Since having around 300 startups in 2016, India has emerged as one of the leading startup hubs with over 130,000 DPIIT-recognized startups. These startups operate in more than 55 sectors, driving innovation across various domains and creating over 1.3 million direct jobs in the country.Hero MotoCorp Joins ONDCMeanwhile, Hero MotoCorp, a leading two-wheeler company, announced on Monday that it has joined the ONDC Network as part of the Digital India initiative. This makes Hero MotoCorp the first auto company in the country to join the network. The company stated that this partnership will enhance accessibility and convenience for consumers by providing a user-friendly digital platform.
