Are Over 1.16 Lakh Retail Sellers Active on ONDC from 630 Cities?
Synopsis
Discover how over 1.16 lakh retail sellers are thriving on ONDC from 630 cities across India. This initiative promotes competition, transparency, and inclusivity for small businesses, enabling them to reach a wider audience and improve their digital presence. A game-changer for local traders and MSMEs, ONDC is reshaping the landscape of digital commerce.
Key Takeaways
Over 1.16 lakh retail sellers are active on ONDC.
ONDC operates across more than 630 cities in India.
The initiative promotes competition and price transparency.
It provides a platform for small businesses and local traders.
TEAM scheme supports digital adoption for small sellers.
New Delhi, Dec 16 (NationPress) Over 1.16 lakh retail sellers have officially joined the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), representing more than 630 cities and towns nationwide as of December 9, according to a government announcement on Tuesday.
The ONDC initiative significantly reduces barriers for small and micro enterprises by facilitating interoperability among various buyer and seller applications, thereby fostering competition within the realm of digital commerce.
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, stated in Lok Sabha that the availability of multiple platforms offering identical products and services ensures enhanced price transparency for consumers. Furthermore, the diversity of sellers from varied geographies enhances the range of products and services, leading to more informed and competitive consumer choices.
In contrast to conventional e-commerce platforms that operate within isolated ecosystems, ONDC establishes an open framework where sellers can connect with customers across different platforms, free from restrictive platform-specific regulations.
The minister emphasized that ONDC plays a crucial role in preventing digital exclusion for small businesses, local merchants, and MSMEs in the evolving e-commerce landscape. It promotes equitable, transparent, and non-discriminatory visibility for all sellers, irrespective of their size, scale, or technological proficiency.
Seller-side applications allow full catalogues to be discovered by all buyer-side applications, while buyer-side applications reveal essential criteria used for sorting search results, helping sellers to improve their rankings. The adoption of common open standards by all network participants further boosts transparency and mitigates biased listing practices.
Moreover, the Ministry of MSME has launched the Trade Enablement and Marketing (TEAM) scheme to encourage digital commerce uptake among SMEs, small vendors, including Self Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), artisans, rural entrepreneurs, and local retailers via ONDC.
This initiative provides these small sellers with support in digital literacy, awareness, cataloguing, and onboarding, with a significant focus on inclusivity as it aims for 50% of beneficiaries to be women-led SMEs, according to the minister.
Point of View
I observe that the emergence of ONDC marks a significant stride toward democratizing digital commerce in India. By connecting a vast number of retail sellers from diverse backgrounds, this initiative embodies the principles of inclusivity and transparency. The government's commitment to supporting small businesses through ONDC is commendable and can potentially reshape the future landscape of e-commerce in the nation.
NationPress
10 May 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many sellers are currently on ONDC?
As of December 9, over 1.16 lakh retail sellers are live on ONDC from more than 630 cities and towns across India.
What are the benefits of ONDC for small businesses?
ONDC provides a platform for small businesses to reach a larger audience, promotes price transparency, and enhances competition within the digital commerce landscape.
How does ONDC ensure transparency?
ONDC enhances transparency by allowing seller-side applications to make their full catalogues visible to buyer-side applications and by adopting common open specifications among network participants.
What support does the TEAM scheme provide?
The TEAM scheme offers support in digital literacy, awareness, cataloguing, and onboarding for small sellers, with a focus on inclusivity for women-led SMEs.
