Parliament Question: Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups and SISFS

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2549. TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 04TH AUGUST, 2026. IMPLEMENTATION OF ONDC 2549. SMT. RACHNA BANERJEE: Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state: वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री (a) the present status of implementation and expansion of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC); (b) the number of sellers, traders and MSMEs onboarded on the platform, State- wise; (c) whether the Government has assessed the impact of ONDC on small retailers and traditional markets; and (d) the measures being taken to improve awareness and participation of small traders in the network? ANSWER वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री (श्री णिणिन प्रसाद) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA) (a): The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is an open, interoperable network that enables buyers and sellers to transact across multiple platforms without being tied to any single application. ONDC is a Section 8 (not-for-profit) company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013. It is not a platform, application or a marketplace. The network has progressively expanded across multiple domains of e- commerce, including retail (grocery, food & beverage, fashion, electronics, and general merchandise), mobility, logistics, financial services, and agriculture, enabling participation by a wide spectrum of sellers, including MSMEs, farmers, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), weavers, artisans, kirana stores, and traditional retailers. Since its launch, a cumulative total of over 500 million orders has been transacted on the ONDC network as of July 2026. Over 500 orders per minute are processed, reflecting the pace of adoption across this network. (b): As ONDC is a network rather than a platform, sellers transact through their respective Seller Network Participants and aggregator entities; a single such entity may represent multiple MSMEs and small retailers. Crucially, sellers can migrate between network participants based on their preferences and the offerings provided by Seller Network Participants and aggregator entities, while maintaining access to the network-wide consumer base.ONDC does not maintain a network-wide, individually attributed count of every seller, MSME, and small retailer transacting on the network. At the aggregate network level, approximately 2 lakh+ merchants (including SHGs, FPOs, MSMEs, sellers, traders etc.) across retail are active on the network, along with approximately 10 lakh+ service providers across mobility and logistics are associated with the network as of July 2026. (c) & (d): ONDC monitors network-level participation and transaction metrics to assess the growth and inclusiveness of the network. As of July 2026, approximately 2 lakh+ merchants across retail—including merchants, SHGs, FPOs, MSMEs, sellers, traders and other business entities—are active on the network, of which approximately 60% are small sellers. The increasing participation of small sellers on the network is indicative of ONDC's role in expanding digital market access by enabling sellers to reach a wider base of buyers through an open, interoperable network, without dependence on any single platform. This approach seeks to reduce barriers to digital commerce, including high commissions, platform lock-in, and onboarding costs associated with closed platforms. Following measures have been undertaken to promote awareness, digital readiness and participation of small traders on the network: i. DigiDukaan, an ONDC initiative for onboarding small kirana and retail traders onto the digital commerce network, is currently operational in Hyderabad and Jaipur, with support from a network of distributors and wholesalers that provides access through major consumer goods companies in Hyderabad and Jaipur. The initiative deploys dedicated field resources and digital outreach campaigns for on-the-ground onboarding and awareness generation among small traders. ii. Under the MSME TEAM Initiative, a sub-component of the World Bank- supported RAMP programme of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, a total outlay of Rs. 277.35 crore has been approved for FY 2024-25 to FY 2026-27 to facilitate onboarding of micro and small enterprises onto ONDC through awareness, capacity-building and training activities, with financial assistance extended for onboarding, product cataloguing, account management, logistics, and packaging material and design, and with 50% of beneficiary MSMEs targeted to be women-owned enterprises. iii. State-level initiatives are also underway for onboarding local and indigenous products, as well as enabling SHGs and cooperatives to sell through ONDC. iv. ONDC has developed and disseminated training and capacity-building programs, including over 3,000 hours of virtual training and 200+ hours of technical training through open digital sessions, attended by over 50,000 participants. v. ONDC publishes Seller Handbooks and Guidebooks to assist first-time digital sellers, made available in 14 Indian languages. vi. ONDC is working with ecosystem partners such as SIDBI, NABARD, and other developmental organizations to onboard SHGs, social-sector sellers and micro-entrepreneurs ********