BharatPe unveiled its partnership with Invest India on Thursday to promote digital financial inclusion and increase digital financial literacy among the One District One Product (ODOP) stakeholders across several districts in the country.
This partnership aligns with the government’s efforts to enhance access to digital payment mediums amongst ODOP merchants in tier 3-4 cities and rural areas of India.
ODOP attempts to further the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat with an objective to convert each District of the country into a Manufacturing and Export Hub by identifying products with export potential in the specific District.
BharatPe and Invest India’s partnership focuses on increasing awareness about cyber frauds and how one can ensure the protection of personal data while using digital payments.
Additionally, the program will be designed to digitally enable ODOP stakeholders to accept digital payments by providing them with BharatPe QR and PoS devices.
Nalin Negi, chief executive officer (CEO) of BharatPe said, “This partnership adds a new dimension to their commitment of driving financial inclusion and digital financial literacy to offline merchants.”
Negi further added that this also aligns with the Prime Minister’s vision of fostering a balanced regional development across all districts of the country through ODOP, and hopes to make a positive impact to the lives of more than two thousand ODOP producers and sellers.
The programs conducted for ODOP stakeholders will operate in micro and small-size industries. The targeted locations for this initiative include important districts across Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi NCR, among others. These districts were chosen to cover industries including shawls, embroidery work, carpets, block printing and silk, gems and jewellery, handicraft items, jute and leather products.
The MD and CEO of Invest India, Nivruti Rai also stated, “Through the financial inclusion sessions, ODOP stakeholders, including artisans, small business owners, and local entrepreneurs, will gain access to essential financial tools and knowledge, fostering a supportive ecosystem for local businesses."