New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Popular markets in Delhi such as Khan Market and Lajpat Nagar will get a wider domestic and global reach with the Delhi government preparing a portal, ‘Dilli Bazaar’, that will provide traders and shopkeepers a platform to display their products and transact business, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday.
The umbrella portal encompassing all famous shops and their products in the city is hoped to be ready by August next year, Kejriwal said in a press conference.
“Businessmen, traders, manufacturers, markets and shops will not only be able to display their products on this portal but also sell them in the city, country and even abroad,” he said.
The portal will also have virtual markets where people can go through shops, identify products of their choice and buy them. It will also host virtual exhibitions, the chief minister said.
“Dilli Bazaar will be a path-breaking, state-of-the-art portal that will give a global online identity to every trader, businessperson, professional, service provider and shopkeeper of Delhi. The shoppers will be able to go on virtual walkthroughs of Delhi’s markets, buy any product they like from their home itself,” said the chief minister.
The huge e-marketplace made available after the launch of the portal will see a “monumental rise” in Delhi’s GDP, tax revenues, employment and overall economic activities, he asserted.
‘Dilli Bazaar’ will be the first portal globally where every entrepreneur of the city would be able to showcase and sell their products to anyone, anywhere in the world. Local businesses will get heavy promotion on the portal and one will be able to explore all products of all shops on it, he said.
“From Lajpat Nagar-Sarojini Nagar markets to local DDA markets, every shop in Delhi will be able to sell its products online. The portal will support both direct-to-consumer and business-to-business ventures and startups will benefit greatly from the exposure made available by it.”
“If anyone who has now shifted from the country to London or someone sitting in America wants to buy something from some particular shop in Delhi, that person will be able to buy it through the portal,” he said.
Making the announcement of the portal on eve of Diwali, Kejriwal said Delhi will soon have its own e-marketplace where every small and big entrepreneur will have their own e-commerce store.
Showcasing Delhi’s unique markets on a platform, creating ecosystem for Delhi’s consumers to buy locally, and providing credible and affordable e-commerce platform to small and medium enterprises are the key objectives behind the ‘Dilli Bazaar’ concept, officials said.
“The product delivery part of the e-marketplace enabled by Dilli Bazaar portal will be handled by the sellers. The work has been started to materialise the concept and operational guidelines for it are being decided,” said a senior Delhi government officer.
The chief minister explaining merits of the portal said, “Imagine the kind of experience consumers will have when they can virtually visit any market, find a shop on it and shop from the retailer directly through the portal. This portal is going to bring even the smallest of the businesses of Delhi to a global scale.
“Even someone sitting in America will be able to virtually walk around the Hauz Khas market and buy something from the shops there. This will all be direct to the consumer, you can search for a certain shop or a product and all options will be there in front of you.”
There is also a business-to-business side to it. Suppose some businesspersons from the UK want to buy Indian antiques, they can go to the portal, look for the antiques and order in bulk as well, he added.
Noting that there are crowds at markets because of festivals and people are being careless in following COVID-19 norms, he asked them to maintain all precautions and wear masks.
Kejriwal invited people to perform Diwali puja for wellbeing of the city along with him and his cabinet colleagues at an event at 7 pm at the Thyagaraj Stadium on Thursday.
