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How ONDC is set to be India’s UPI moment for e-commerce

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arket practices from Big Tech and according to Shireesh Joshi, Chief Business Officer (CBO) and President, Network Expansion for the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), the goal is to create population-scale inclusion of e-commerce in the country.

With ONDC, a Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-type initiative of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to promote open networks, the government is trying to create the largest interoperable open platform in a bid to break e-commerce monopolies and build a more democratised digital marketplace by bringing micro, small, and medium enterprise as well as small traders online.

Currently, only 5-6 per cent of India’s retail activity is digital.

There are several limitations and constraints of existing platform based e-commerce that will be solved by unbundling and creating interoperability that will further allow any kind of product or service, whether as B2B or B2C, to be transacted on ONDC,” Joshi told IANS in an interview.

One of the immediate outcomes of this unbundling and interoperability is that every seller will have access to every buyer, and vice versa.

“Scale that was limited to a few players will now be available to everyone and help in democratising. E-commerce majors are also in conversation with us for onboarding on ONDC. This is not an anti-anyone initiative,” Joshi elaborated.

The democratisation and innovation that will result from ONDC will allow all kinds of players to flourish and “we will need all these multiple models of e-commerce to help achieve the goal of population-scale inclusion,” he stressed.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has announced that ONDC will gradually be expanded to more cities in the near future, as it has the potential to connect the entire farm value chain.

The Centre also envisions ONDC as a private sector-led, non-profit company to bring focus on ethical and responsible behaviour while providing for trust, rigorous norms of governance, accountability, and transparency.

According to Joshi, an IIT Kanpur and IIM Bangalore alumnus, for farmers and farmer producer organisations (FPOs), the UPI-type protocol will enable access to a much wider market.

“Your neighbourhood fruit seller might claim that the Apples he sells are from Himachal, or the litchees are from Muzaffarpur. But you may not have a way of being sure. But on ONDC you may be able to buy directly from an orchard in Himachal or UP and be sure,” Joshi noted.

Farms and orchards can become brands too and realise better pricing than as commodities through a multi-tier trading and distribution system.

“Famers will be able access all buyers across the country through a single registration and not have to register with multiple organisations,” he emphasised.

This network-wide buyer access has other benefits too.

For example, it can help determine the best market prices for his products, say the current prices of Himachal apples in Delhi and Jaipur mandis to help decide what price to quote and which order to accept.

“Such a scale will create providers of various kinds of services — packing, warehousing, shipping which will enable cost efficient market reach. Products need not be shipped to markets anticipating demand and risk expiring in case it does not materialise, it can be warehoused and shipped on demand instead,” Joshi told IANS.

On ONDC, farmers will not only sell but also be able to buy seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators, equipment and tools.

The initiative has an agri-focused entity in National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) as one of its shareholders which has helped it solve technical challenges and engage with several organisations in the agri sector.

According to Joshi, this is not a one-time journey, given the agri sector’s complexity and diversity.

“We expect this to be repeated every few months to keep building and adding to the agri solutions stack. At some stage, the ecosystem itself should kick in and ONDC may not have to facilitate after that,” Joshi elaborated.

Besides this, they are also engaging with state governments to promote adoption of ONDC for agri e-commerce.

“Haryana and Madhya Pradesh governments have begun mobilising support for this and we expect more to follow. Central initiatives like National Agriculture Market (eNAM), which is a pan-India electronic trading portal, is also in active discussion with us on evolving the best way forward,” Joshi informed.

Overall, ONDC will enable lower costs and higher revenues for farmers, enabling more autonomy and benefits for a farmer, said Joshi who has been credited with managing large-scale business operations/strategy in India and China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Asian territories.

National

Maharashtra Cabinet clears 802 km Shaktipeeth Expressway

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Mumbai, June 24: The Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday approved the much-debated 802-km six-lane Shaktipeeth Expressway connecting 18 pilgrimage sites, including three and a half Shaktipeeths, two Jyotirlingas and Pandharpur Ambajogai in the state.

The project cost is estimated at Rs 86,300 crore and will pass through 12 districts.

The state-run Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation is the nodal agency for its development.

The cabinet cleared a provision of Rs 20,000 crore for the project design and land acquisition.

The expressway has been proposed from Pawanar in Wardha district to Patradevi in Sindhudurg district. This will reduce the travel time from the present 18 to 20 hours to just 8-10 hours.

According to the government sources, it aims to boost tourism, regional development, and provide easier access to spiritual sites. The expressway will pass through three Shakti Peethas of Mahalaxmi (Kolhapur), Tulja Bhawani (Dharashiv) and Patradevi (Goa), two Jyotirlingas of Aundha Nagnath (Hingoli) and Parli Vaijnath (Beed), historic town of Pandharpur, which houses the Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Mandir.

Last week, Chief Minister Fadnavis had directed the Finance Department to allocate Rs 12,000 crore required in connection with land acquisition for the proposed Shaktipeeth Expressway.

“Delays in projects lead to major cost escalations. All agencies concerned have been assigned specific timelines, and strict adherence to these is necessary. The land acquisition process must be treated with seriousness and executed in mission mode,” he said.

CM Fadnavis, who has been a strong advocate of the Shaktipeeth Expressway, claimed the project will open up new opportunities and transform the state.

He clarified that the government will not force the project on anyone, saying that the government will sit and understand the issues of farmers. While a section of farmers is protesting, another lot has plans to have gatherings to show their support for the project, he noted.

Today’s Cabinet approval comes amid strong protests by opposition parties, farmers and villagers who claimed that the proposed highway will damage their irrigated farmlands and is being planned for the benefit of contractors.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi has been opposing the project, claiming that it will affect farmers badly and benefit contractors.

The opposition parties are expected to take up the issue during the upcoming Monsoon Session of the state legislature, starting June 30 in Mumbai.

The Mahayuti government, ahead of state Assembly elections last year, had put on hold the land acquisition for the expressway in the wake of strong protests, especially from Kolhapur district. The Mahayuti partners BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, had feared an electoral loss if the land acquisition had been carried out. However, the government has revived it now.

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National

LoP Rahul Gandhi, CM Fadnavis cross swords over Maha electoral rolls

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New Delhi, June 24: Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday exchanged verbal blows on social media over alleged voter list manipulation ahead of last year’s Assembly elections.

While LoP Gandhi alleged illegal additions to the voter list in CM Fadnavis’ constituency and doubted the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) impartiality, the BJP leader mocked the Congress MP and accused him of “shooting in the dark” to cast doubt on the election which his party lost in a “humiliating manner”.

In his latest message on X, LoP Gandhi said, “In Maharashtra CM’s own constituency, the voter list grew by 8 per cent in just five months. Some booths saw a 20-50 per cent surge. Booth Level Officers reported unknown individuals casting votes. Media uncovered thousands of voters with no verified address. And the EC? Silent – or complicit. These aren’t isolated glitches. This is vote theft. The cover-up is the confession.”

Reiterating his demand for a relook at the voting footage, the Congress leader said, “That’s why we demand the immediate release of machine-readable digital voter rolls and CCTV footage.”

CM Fadnavis responded by posting on X, “I agree that your pain of the humiliating defeat in Maharashtra is increasing day by day. But when will you stop shooting in the dark?”

In a powerful rebuttal to LoP Gandhi’s allegations on a sudden surge in the number of voters in his Nagpur South-West constituency, CM Fadnavis said, “For your information, there are more than 25 constituencies in Maharashtra where more than 8 per cent voters have increased between Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and Congress has won in many places.”

Fadnavis said in his message on X, “In West Nagpur constituency which is adjacent to my South-West constituency, 7 per cent voters (27,065) increased and Congress candidate Vikas Thackeray won the election there.”

In North Nagpur, 7 per cent (29,348) voters increased and Congress candidate Nitin Raut won. In Pune district, in Vadgaon Sheri, 10 per cent (50,911) voters increased and Bapusaheb Pathare of the NCP Sharad Pawar faction won, said the CM.

Giving examples of an unprecedented surge in voter registration in other Assembly segments, CM Fadnavis said, “In Mumbra, 9 per cent (46,041) voters increased and Jitendra Awhad of the Sharad Pawar faction won. In Malad West, 11 per cent (38,625) voters increased and your Congress party’s Aslam Sheikh won.”

The Maharashtra CM also slammed LoP Gandhi for his unverified claims and advised him to maintain proper communication with, at least, his own party workers, if not Congress allies.

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International

Fresh Escalation By Iran? Sirens Blare In Israel After Ceasefire Confirmed

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Tel Aviv: Sirens sound in northern Israel as the army warned of incoming Iranian missiles, hours after both countries agreed to a ceasefire on Tuesday. Israeli media earlier reported that a test ceasefire was in effect till 7 pm local time, during which Israel would not initiate any military operation. The Jewish State said it would watch the response of Tehran before announcing a longer ceasefire.

Earlier in the day, Tehran and Jerusalem accepted a ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to end their 12-day war that roiled the Middle East. But the ceasefire with Israel came into effect following several waves of Iranian attacks on Israeli-occupied territories. 

At least four people were killed in the Southern Israeli city of Be’er Sheva on Tuesday morning after an Iranian missile hit a residential building. The launches came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would stop its attacks if Israel ended their airstrikes.

A video has emerged from Be’er Sheva, which shows the residential complex being completely destroyed by the Iranian missile. The clip shows remains of burnt cars and trees outside the building where the warhead had hit.

Iranian state media said Tehran launched five waves of missiles at Israel, moments before a ceasefire between the two Middle East foes was expected to begin. “The fifth wave of this morning’s missile attack from Iran is on its way to the occupied territories,” Irib posted on Telegram just before 4:00 am GMT.

The adversaries had been swapping missile fire since Israel carried out surprise “preemptive” strikes against Iran on June 13, targeting nuclear and military sites, and prompting Trump to warn of a possible “massive” regional conflict.

Trump’s Ceasefire Announcement

Earlier, Israel’s military said that it was working to intercept Iranian missiles launched a “short while ago”, without specifying the exact time of the attack.

“A short while ago, sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel,” the Israeli military said in a statement posted to Telegram around 5:00 am Iranian Time (2:00 am GMT).

US President Donald Trump had announced that a staggered ceasefire between Israel and Iran would begin around 4:00 am GMT, with Tehran halting operations first.

Though there was no immediate confirmation from Israel on ending the conflict, Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran did not intend to continue its strikes if Israel stopped its attacks.

Israel’s Early Warning To Citizens

Despite nightly missile barrages, Israel’s casualty toll has remained relatively low, with authorities repeatedly stressing the importance of taking cover in life-saving protected spaces.

Israeli residents receive blaring phone alerts via SMS to warn them of incoming Iranian missiles, often in the early hours of the morning. These are often followed by the wail of overhead air raid sirens.

The alerts caution residents to rush to the safe shelters closest to their homes. For those with no safe shelters near their homes, the city’s underground stations and car parks have become vital refuges since the war began on June 13.

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