Dharamshala: Snapdeal, India’s online marketplace today (22.6.2015) announced its partnership with the government of Himachal Pradesh to launch India’s first Special e-commerce zone here in the presence of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Minister of Housing, Urban Development and Town & Country Planning, Sudhir Sharma.
The company assured that it is building the most forceful 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 endeavors to create business expansion and employment opportunities for the residents of Dharamshala.
Acknowledging the efforts taken Virbhadra Singh said, “I am delighted that Snapdeal has taken the initiative to create employment and entrepreneurial opportunities 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 look forward to replicating this model across other regions of the state.”
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. We thank the government of Himachal Pradesh for their encouragement and support towards all our initiatives.”
Snapdeal has partnered with Development Logics, a Dharamshala based IT Company to outsource some parts of its image tagging process. Varun Rattan Singh, CEO and Co-founder, of Development Logics said, “This partnership showcases the potential, which exists, wherein big brands can leverage upon skilled talent available in tier-3 towns and rural areas of India. This initiative strengthens our belief that IT can be leveraged to create employment opportunities for youth in Himachal Pradesh.”
“This is an unique initiative to power the local economy and present a new model of development .We look forward to making this a huge success”, said Sudhir Sharma
The Snapdeal Dharmashala online curated store will house traditional products like Tankha Paintings, Kangra Arts, Handicrafts from Buddhist traditions and organic products.
They will also take on-board 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.
Snapdeal is also setting up a technology lab at Dayananda Model Senior Secondary School Dharamshala to inculcate and enhance students’ interests in science and technology. The lab will be equipped with computers, robotic kits, technology enabled toys to enable fun based learning among students.
Arvind Sharma is an award winning bi-lingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience.
He has worked with Divya Himachal, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhasker, Vir Partap, Ajit and PTI.
In 2010, he was conferred the Himachal Kesri journalism award. He reports on the Tibetan Government in Exile, politics, sports, tourism and other topics. He lives in Dharamshala.
