Flipkart and Kerala State Government Partner to Enable Artisans and Women Entrepreneurs

KOCHI:

Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, organized two specialized workshops in Kerala under its flagship Flipkart Samarth program, in collaboration with the Kerala Arts & Crafts Village (KACV) and the Department of Women and Child Development, Govt of Kerala. Held on February 3rd and 4th, the workshops were aimed at enabling traditional craftspeople to transition to e-commerce by equipping them with the knowledge and tools required to access national markets, thereby integrating Kerala’s artisanal community into the country’s growing digital economy.

Held on February 3, 2026, at the Kerala Arts & Craft Village (KACV) in Vellar, in collaboration with institutions of the Government of Kerala, the first workshop focused on digitising over 100 highly skilled artisans engaged in traditional crafts such as Aranmula Kannadi, Nettor Craft, and Mural Arts. By onboarding these artisans collectively as a government-supported emporium on Flipkart’s marketplace, the initiative enables access to a pan-India customer base of over 500 million.

On February 4, 2026, Flipkart collaborated with the Department of Women and Child Development to host an orientation for over 160 women entrepreneurs, with a focus on the apparel and craft sectors. The session aimed to empower village women to build sustainable livelihoods through digital inclusion and market access. 

Speaking at the workshop, Sreeprasad T U, Chief Operating Officer, Kerala Arts and Crafts Village, Kovalam, said, “We are delighted to offer our handcrafted products and services to the customers through the Flipkart Samarth platform. Now customers can access our products from anywhere in the country. The user-friendly interface makes navigation easy, and the Flipkart support team has been consistently helpful.”

Across both workshops, participants received hands-on guidance on cataloguing, compliance, logistics, and digital storefront management, offering practical, end-to-end operational insights under the Flipkart Samarth program.

K C Rosakutty – Chairperson, Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation, said, “The partnership between Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation and Flipkart provides online marketing opportunities to women who are socially, technologically, and economically disadvantaged. Through this initiative, Flipkart is enabling products made by women entrepreneurs in Kerala to be marketed across India, rather than being limited to local markets. This will enhance the confidence of women entrepreneurs and improve their quality of life.”

Girish Nair, Director Policy, Flipkart Samarth, added, “At Flipkart, skilling and enabling market access are central to how we strengthen India’s digital commerce ecosystem. We believe e-commerce can be a powerful catalyst for inclusive growth. Kerala’s artisans represent a remarkable legacy of craftsmanship and creativity. Through our partnership with the KACV and the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Kerala, we are focused on creating efficient, sustainable pathways that help traditional crafts scale and thrive. Our commitment is to empower artisan communities across India to unlock exponential growth by fully participating in the country’s digital economy.”

Launched in 2019, the Flipkart Samarth initiative has positively impacted close to 1 million livelihoods across India year on year, through the sale of products on the marketplace platform, preserving more than 100 traditional art forms. The program provides dedicated support for onboarding, cataloging, and business insights, ensuring that even the most remote artisans can participate in the digital economy.