The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) has been honored with the prestigious Gold Award in the category of “Application of Emerging Technologies for Providing Citizen-Centric Services” at the National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG). This recognition was conferred during the 27th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG), held on September 3, 2024, in Mumbai.
The National Awards for e-Governance, organized by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), are among the most esteemed accolades in digital governance within India. These awards aim to recognize and promote excellence in the implementation of e-Governance initiatives and encourage innovation in successful e-Governance solutions. Each year, awards are presented across various categories during the NCeG, an event jointly organized by the DARPG, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and the state government hosting the conference. This year, the Government of Maharashtra hosted the 27th edition of the NCeG in Mumbai.
ONDC, a cornerstone of India’s globally recognized Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), was conceptualized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It serves as a bridge between public service delivery and the technological enablement of the retail trade sector. ONDC employs a unique approach to democratizing e-commerce through technology-driven interventions. Its interoperable, unbundled, and decentralized architecture breaks down a complex system into discrete microservices, enabling different players to offer them separately, which benefits all stakeholders and fosters trust in the e-commerce ecosystem. Currently, ONDC facilitates over 12 million orders per month across a wide range of categories, from fashion and electronics to ride-hailing and metro ticketing. Additionally, it recently achieved the milestone of onboarding over 600,000 sellers across India.
ONDC empowers a diverse array of sellers, including small businesses, artisans, women entrepreneurs, farmers, and street vendors, enabling them to compete more effectively and reach a broader audience. The platform’s democratization of e-commerce has spurred competition and innovation, offering consumers greater choices and competitive pricing. ONDC operates with the agility of a startup while leveraging the scale of government support, driven by a team of technocrats and guided by the ONDC Advisory Council.
Looking ahead, ONDC is expanding its capabilities for deeper integration with key government platforms, further enhancing ease of doing business, accelerating access to credit, and improving data flow among government systems. This integration will create synergies across government platforms, serving a common set of beneficiaries and achieving unified objectives.
- PIB
