Amazon’s Karigar initiative empowers local artisans

Prione, a joint venture by Amazon and Catamaran, is enabling artisans and weavers to go online through Amazon’s Karigar initiative

Hyderabad: The pandemic has brought to light what role e-commerce and digitalisation can play to help the handicraft and handloom community. Prione, a joint venture by Amazon and Catamaran, is enabling artisans and weavers to go online through Amazon’s Karigar initiative. Almost 350 sellers from Telangana are onboarded while 50,000 artisans and weavers are empowered through the initiative.

India’s handicraft and handloom sector, valued at Rs 24,300 crore, contributes nearly Rs 10,000 crore annually in export earnings. Proactive States such as Telangana had been encouraging the handloom sector and artisans to help improve their income.

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Sandeep Varaganti, MD and CEO, Prione, told Telangana Today, “Amazon’s Karigar initiative was launched to bring to fore India’s rich handicraft and handloom heritage, and source locally from artisans across the country their authentic handmade products on Amazon. Prione has been an onground partner for this initiative. Amazon has signed MoUs with Central and State governments to provide preferential rates to artisans in the States.”

Artisans dealing with Ikkat, Pochampally and Gadwal sarees, Bidri craft, Warangal dhurries, Lac bangles and Cheriyal painting from Telangana had been benefited by the initiative. As an onground partner, Prione onboards the artisans and weavers, educate and train them on how to profile products online. The company has partnered with several co-operatives in the State, enabled master weavers to go online and launched government emporiums.

He added, “A cluster approach has been used to make the initiative successful. For instance, Karigar initiative has enabled the Pochampally cluster in Telangana, as part of the 95 such clusters across the country, closely working with over 20 governments with formal partnerships. In Telangana and AP, different art forms had been supported.”

Pranav Bhasin, director, MSME and Seller Experience, Amazon India, said, “Through the Karigar initiative, we have onboarded more than 3,000 master weavers, co-operatives, artisans and apex bodies (including national award-winning weavers) to sell online.” Bhasin added, “The initiative, with the help of Telangana government helped uplift the lives of 4,500 weavers in Telangana from 56 villages of Telangana. The weavers can set appropriate prices for their unique products sold online.”

Pan-India, the initiative has enabled 8.5 lakh artisans and over 300 crafts out of the 500 crafts that exist in India. There are efforts to cover all 500 crafts in future. Varaganti said, “From the demand point of view, most of the orders are still coming from within India. However, the US, UK and Dubai are emerging as key markets, globally.”

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