Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal chaired a review meeting with officials from ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) and Nirmit Bharat on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, focusing on expanding open digital networks to transform retail, logistics, and financial inclusion for small producers and artisans.

Context

The meeting centred on how open digital infrastructure can overhaul India's retail and distribution ecosystems. Minister Goyal emphasised 'leveraging open digital networks to transform retail and distribution ecosystems, bring small producers and artisans onto digital platforms, strengthen logistics and mobility services, and expand financial inclusion through innovative digital solutions.'

The minister underlined that these efforts 'have the potential to deepen market access, improve service delivery and drive broad-based economic participation' — signalling a deliberate policy push to widen the economic footprint of informal-sector sellers.

Policy Backdrop

ONDC was incorporated in 2021 under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), which falls under Goyal's ministry, and its pilot was launched in 2022. The network is built on open protocols designed to make e-commerce interoperable — allowing any buyer-side or seller-side application to transact across a shared digital layer, rather than within a single dominant platform.

The initiative is part of India's broader open digital public infrastructure stack, which includes UPI for payments and the Account Aggregator framework for consent-based financial data sharing. Successive Commerce Ministry reviews have linked ONDC's expansion to logistics digitisation and improved credit access for informal-sector sellers, particularly MSMEs, artisans, and small producers who have historically been locked out of large platform ecosystems.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of an expanded ONDC are small producers, artisans, and MSMEs — segments that form the backbone of India's informal economy but have struggled to access national and global markets due to high platform fees, complex onboarding, and limited logistics reach. Open network architecture, in principle, lowers these barriers by enabling competition among service providers rather than concentration within a single platform.

The discussion's focus on financial inclusion through digital solutions points to integration with credit and payment services for sellers who lack formal banking relationships. Logistics and mobility services were also highlighted, reflecting ongoing challenges in last-mile delivery that have constrained ONDC's scale-up beyond metro markets.

What's Next

Key milestones to watch include integration progress between ONDC, logistics players, and financial service providers, as well as any parliamentary updates on ONDC adoption metrics. The ministry's renewed engagement with the network suggests that expanding seller onboarding — particularly for artisans and rural producers — remains a live priority in India's digital commerce agenda.

If open-network adoption accelerates, it could materially shift the competitive dynamics of Indian e-commerce, reducing the structural advantage currently held by large integrated platforms and channelling more economic value toward smaller, decentralised market participants.