Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday, 10 June chaired a review meeting in New Delhi with officials from the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and its non-profit subsidiary Nirmit Bharat, focusing on harnessing open digital networks to overhaul India's retail and distribution landscape.

What the Meeting Covered

Discussions centred on bringing small producers, artisans, and micro-enterprises onto digital platforms, improving logistics and mobility services through interoperable digital solutions, and deepening market access for underserved segments. Goyal posted on X that he 'emphasised how these efforts have the potential to deepen market access, improve service delivery and drive broad-based economic participation.'

ONDC's Growing Investor Confidence

The review comes on the back of a string of high-profile investments in ONDC. Ride-hailing giant Uber this month announced a strategic investment in the network — one of the earliest by a global technology company in India's open digital commerce infrastructure. Uber said the move deepens its commitment to India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) ecosystem and builds on its existing integration with the network.

Adil Zainulbhai, Independent Director at ONDC, said the investment 'reflects growing confidence in India's digital commerce infrastructure and its ability to create a level playing field for businesses.'

Earlier, Zoho Corporation — the Chennai-headquartered global technology company — announced an investment of ₹70 crore in ONDC to support sovereign technology development and strengthen digital public infrastructure, with a stated focus on making technology accessible to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Scale and Reach of ONDC

ONDC enabled 218 million transactions during FY2025-26, continuing to expand its network across retail, logistics, mobility, and financial services. The platform is designed to address structural challenges including fragmented systems, high entry barriers, and trust deficits that have long constrained digital commerce in India.

Why It Matters

Nirmit Bharat's mandate — as a government-backed non-profit — is to channel ONDC's open-network architecture toward social inclusion, particularly for artisans and small producers who remain outside mainstream e-commerce. The convergence of government review, global investor interest, and transaction scale signals that India's open commerce rails are moving from pilot to mainstream. The next phase will test whether the network can convert transaction volume into sustained income gains for the smallest participants on the platform.