In a bid to reach more customers and promote indigenous handicrafts, the Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation (KSHDC) will sell its products on major e-commerce portals. This announcement was made by newly appointed KSHDC Managing Director and senior IPS officer D Roopa. KSHDC is a Karnataka government undertaking and is owned jointly by the state and Union government. Taking to Twitter, Roopa said that 100 products of Cauvery Emporium, the brand name under which KSHDC products are sold, will be available for purchase online soon.
“Cauvery Emporium products are now in Flipkart. We have listed 30 items. We will list 70 more. This is the first e-market we have ventured into. Soon we will be on other e-platforms too,” she tweeted. Speaking to TNM, Roopa said that while the proposal to place KSHDC products on online platforms was not new, it was long pending. She said that KSHDC is in talks with other major online platforms like Amazon and soon, more of the company’s products will be sold online. She said existing physical stores under the Cauvery Emporium brand will continue.
“This idea was there for a long time in the pipeline but now it has become operational,” she said. Soon after taking her position as MD, Roopa had tweeted, “First time I'm handling a company. So, I put myself on probation. I went and spent the whole day in the retail showroom of Cauvery Emporium. Spent time at the cash counter, billing section, addressed staff on problems, and spoke to customers for feedback. A day as a probationer, spent well.”
It may be recalled that D Roopa was the Home Secretary until recently and was transferred unceremoniously amidst a controversy over the ‘Safe City’ project tender.