In February 2024, the Quality Council of India (QCI) and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) launched the DigiReady certification portal, an online self-assessment platform designed to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), artisans, and local vendors evaluate their digital readiness. Since then, over 1 million sellers, from corner stores to rural artisans, have used the portal to assess their capabilities in areas like catalog management, order processing, digital payment readiness, packaging, and grievance redressal.
Self‑Assessment Made Inclusive: From Awareness to Onboarding
The DigiReady portal guides sellers through 21 questions across seven modules, evaluating their technology use, GST/Udyam/Aadhar registration verification via API, and catalog integration readiness. Vendors who meet the criteria earn a digital certificate, becoming officially DigiReady, and join lists shared with buyer platforms such as Paytm, Magicpin, Meesho, and Snapdeal.
Bridging the Gap: E-commerce Access for Artisans and MSMEs
This initiative aligns with government efforts to broaden digital inclusion. ONDC has already onboarded over 370,000 vendors and service providers across 800+ cities, facilitating millions of transactions and helping artisans reach customers nationwide. DigiReady enables local sellers, especially in rural or underserved regions, to join this open network confidently and competently.
Quality Control Orders: Safeguarding Made‑in‑India MSMEs
In order to combat inferior products and unfair competition, the government has simultaneously strengthened import regulations through Quality Control Orders (QCOs), which require BIS certification for some products prior to manufacturing, sale, or import. Among the industries impacted are steel, textiles, plastics, and fasteners.
While QCOs help raise quality standards and protect domestic enterprises, MSMEs have expressed concerns: compliance is often expensive, testing infrastructure limited, and timelines uneven, some sectors offer exemptions or extended deadlines, especially for smaller firms. To balance this, an Inter‑Ministerial Group now reviews all proposed QCOs and considers graded standards or de‑minimis exemptions for MSMEs.
From Visibility to Viability: The Real Impact
- Digital credibility & visibility: DigiReady certification builds trust, boosts discoverability on the ONDC network, and reduces onboarding friction.
- Capacity building: Sellers gain clarity on where they need improvement be it catalog management, payments, or logistics.
- Quality safeguards: QCOs push MSMEs toward standardized production, helping them compete with imports and enter export markets with credibility.
- Inclusion & flexibility: The government’s phased compliance deadlines and potential exemptions aim to ease burdens on small enterprises.
ONDC’s DigiReady portal and the government’s Quality Control Orders offer complementary pathways: one empowers sellers to go digital and scale, the other protects them from unfair competition and quality dumping. Together, they make MSMEs more resilient, visible, and market-ready.
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