ONDC project

ONDC project

Subject: Government Schemes

Context: The Centre has set up an Advisory Council for Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) comprising

Concept:

It was decided to constitute an Advisory Council, to advise the government on measures needed to design and accelerate adoption of ONDC, by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), comprising Nandan Nilekani of Infosys and senior representatives from the government and retailers organizations

ONDC project

• The ONDC, a project of the DPIIT assigned to the Quality Council of India (QCI), aims at promoting open networks developed on open sourced methodology, using open specifications and network protocols independent of any specific platform.
• ONDC is expected to digitise the entire value chain, standardise operations, promote inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiency in logistics and enhance value for consumers.
• Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) project that is aimed at curbing “digital monopolies”. This is a step in the direction of making e-commerce processes open source, thus creating a platform that can be utilised by all online retailers

Significance of making something open-network

1. Making a software or a process open-source means that the code or the steps of that process is made available freely for others to use, redistribute and modify it.
2. If the ONDC gets implemented and mandated, it would mean that all e-commerce companies will have to operate using the same processes. This could give a huge booster shot to smaller online retailers and new entrants.