Online marketplace Snapdeal today announced its partnership with the government of Himachal Pradesh to launch India’s first Special e-commerce zone at Dharamshala in the presence of Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh and Minister of Housing, Urban Development and Town & Country Planning, Sudhir Sharma.
Snapdeal is building the most impactful digital commerce ecosystem in the country. In line with this, the company is taking several measures which will enable small and medium sized businesses across the country to harness the power of internet and become a part of the digital revolution. The special e-commerce zone by Snapdeal endeavors to create business expansion and employment opportunities for the residents of Dharamshala.
Speaking about the initiative, Kunal Bahl, Co-founder and CEO, Snapdeal said, “India’s growing internet economy, presents immense opportunities for growth of small and medium businesses. With the Special Ecommerce Zone we are looking at invigorating and mainstreaming local economies by linking and assisting them to harness the potential of the internet. This offers multi-dimensional digital initiatives like creating online entrepreneurs, information technology training camps, outsourcing to local information technology companies, establishment of a Snapdeal technology innovation Lab and promoting traditional state handicrafts through a specially curated online store for Himachali handicrafts. We thank the government of Himachal Pradesh for their encouragement and support towards all our initiatives.”
Acknowledging Snapdeal’s efforts and thanking them for choosing Himachal Pradesh for launching the project, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said, “I am delighted that Snapdeal has taken the initiative to create employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in Dharamshala by creating a special e-commerce zone. It will have a positive impact on the economy of this region which until now has been largely based on tourism. We are now beginning a new chapter for Dharamshala’s growth and I look forward to replicating this model across other regions of the state.”
This unique initiative by Snapdeal to power local economy can present a new model of development for the country given the massive growth of the internet economy. I hope that the local businesses of Dharamshala will embrace this opportunity and grow their businesses. We look forward to making this a huge success”, said Sh. Sudhir Sharma, Minister for Urban Development, Himachal Pradesh
Following activities have been initiated by Snapdeal to build capacities in the small town.
- Snapdeal Dharmashala Store: A special store is being curated on Snapdeal that will house traditional products like Tankha Paintings, Kangra Arts, Handicrafts from Buddhist traditions and organic products.
- Training workshop and pick up facilities: To help the local artisans and manufacturers become e-commerce ready, Snapdeal is conducting training workshops which will educate them on the various processes involved while selling online. Snapdeal will also on-board these local artisans and manufacturers as sellers on its marketplace and thereby, enable them to sell nationally while supplying locally. A special pick up facility has been set up for these new sellers to transport their products to customers across the country.
- Outsourcing IT services: Snapdeal is outsourcing some part of its image tagging processes to Dharamshala based ITES start-up Development Logics. This will create job opportunities for qualified local youth and widen their exposure to national business scenarios.
- Partnering with Local Start-ups for Co-habitation: Snapdeal has tied up with Dharamshala based local IT start-up Gai Technologies for co-habitation of employees to facilitate exchange of ideas and share its experiences with the young company.
- Snapdeal Technology Lab: Snapdeal is setting up a technology lab at Dayananda Model Senior Secondary School to inculcate and enhance students’ interests in science and technology. The lab will be equipped with computers, robotic kits, technology enabled toys by Snapdeal to enable fun based learning among students.
