Lucknow:  National Institute of Entrepreneurship & Small Business Development (NIESBUD), an autonomous body under Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, has signed a MoU with Anuna Education for implementing pan-India eCommerce training for industrial/artisan clusters and village level entrepreneurs (VLE).

 Anuna Education, a leading player in the skill development space, having entrepreneurship skills as one of its core focus areas, has developed a specialized program for eCommerce training in partnership with eBay India & National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). The program is targeted towards upskilling of cluster artisans, self-help groups, SME retailers & self-employed entrepreneurs, with aim of connecting them with Direct Retail Export, leading eCommerce portals, and business loans under Mudra Bank.

 Anuna’s eCommerce Training program starts from the basics of entrepreneurship, business management & digital communications to in-depth analysis of eCommerce marketplace, products & categories. Hand-holding support is also provided to the candidates all the way to their first ten online sales. Graduates of the program also become eligible for extended hand-holding support, as well as, zero collateral business loans of up to rupees ten lakh under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojna (PMMY).

 Leading eCommerce players such as eBay.com have a core focus on Direct Retail Export, with the ability to connect Indian sellers seamlessly with over 14.5 crore buyers in nearly 201 countries. Indian Handicrafts, Handlooms, Textiles, Leather items, Footwear, Lifestyle, Clothing, Sporting Goods, Ayurvedic & Herbal Products, Religious Items, Home Décor, Artificial & Semi-Precious jewelries are all product categories doing well in the Direct Retail Export segment, so much so that a handicraft item sells every 20 seconds on ebay.com. Additionally, Indian eCommerce market is also doing well with competitive players such as Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal etc. providing various opportunities for sellers to grow their business.

“Our eCommerce training program helps India’s traditional artisans & clusters learn the ins & outs of both the export and domestic eCommerce markets, and actually start selling,” said Amit Iqbal Srivastava, Founder & CEO of Anuna Education. “Our aim under the program is stop the exploitation of the Indian artisan, help them cut out the middle man and gain the skills required to successfully enter the digital age. In short, this program is a combination of Prime Minister Modi’s vision of Skill India, Digital India & Make in India,” he added. Amit further stated that over 190 government-aided artisan clusters from across India have already signed up under the program.

 “We are happy to partner with Anuna Education to implement this eCommerce program for the growth and benefit of traditional Indian clusters and SME entrepreneurs,” said Sunil Bhardwaj, Joint Director NIESBUD, “We shall be helping Anuna mobilize the candidates & centres, train the trainers, and do monitoring of the targeted outcomes. This program shall also help artisans innovate their product lines through exposure to international trends.”