12 June 2026·PIB

DPIIT, ONDC Bring FMCG Leaders Together to Digitise Procurement for India’s 1.4 Crore Kirana Stores Through DigiDukaan

In this note

1. At a Glance

DigiDukaan is an ONDC-led initiative to digitise B2B procurement for India's 1.4 crore kirana stores, championed by DPIIT under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry [1][2].
Targets the General Trade channel that contributes 75–80% of FMCG sales in India [1].
Examinable for Prelims (schemes/digital public infrastructure) and Mains GS-III (economy, MSMEs, e-commerce, Digital India) [1][3].

On 12 June 2026, DPIIT and ONDC convened the "CPG Roundtable – Bharat Commerce Chintan Shivir" in New Delhi to expand DigiDukaan and gather recommendations on General Trade digitisation [1].
Roundtable chaired by Additional Secretary, DPIIT, Shri Ateesh Kumar Singh; attended by HUL, ITC, Coca-Cola, Tata Consumer Products (TCPL), CavinKare, Marico, Bikano, L'Oréal, Moon Beverages, Anmol Industries, Nestlé and Kirana King [1].

ONDC incorporated as a Section 8 (non-profit) company on 31 December 2021 under MCA, promoted by DPIIT [2].
Pilot launch of ONDC: April 2022 in 5 cities (Bengaluru pilot kick-off) [2].
ONDC built on open protocols (Beckn) — platform-agnostic, modelled on UPI's open-network logic [2][3].
DigiDukaan added as a vertical to extend ONDC from B2C to B2B kirana procurement, addressing fragmented ordering between FMCG companies, distributors and retailers [1].

Parent Ministry: Ministry of Commerce & Industry → DPIIT [1].
Implementing body: ONDC (private non-profit Section 8 company; not a government entity) [2].
Legal form of ONDC: Section 8, Companies Act 2013 [2].
Architecture: Open-sourced, Beckn protocol-based; interoperable across buyer & seller apps [2].
Target universe: 1.4 crore (14 million) kirana stores [1].
General Trade share in FMCG: 75–80% [1].
Roundtable name: Bharat Commerce Chintan Shivir — 12 June 2026 [1].
Focus areas: distributor digitisation, catalogue standardisation, retailer onboarding, technology integration, logistics integration [1].

Economic

Formalises a fragmented unorganised retail channel that handles 3/4ths of FMCG flow; cuts intermediation costs and working-capital lock-ups [1].
Boosts MSME competitiveness vs. large e-commerce / quick-commerce players [2].

Technological

Built on open protocols, not a platform — interoperability mirrors UPI model; reduces platform monopoly risks [2].
Enables digital catalogues, e-invoicing, ONDC-rail logistics for B2B replenishment [1].

Administrative / Governance

Public–private hybrid: DPIIT convenes, ONDC executes, FMCG majors + distributors + logistics players operationalise — a network-governance model [1].
Avoids direct government ownership of the commerce stack — minimises regulatory capture concerns [2].

Social

Protects livelihoods of kirana retailers against margin compression by quick-commerce; bridges digital divide for small shopkeepers [1].

12 Jun 2026: DPIIT–ONDC CPG Roundtable on DigiDukaan expansion [1].
2024: DPIIT organised ONDC Startup Mahotsav in New Delhi to onboard startups onto the network [4].
Jan 2025: PIB feature "Revolutionizing Digital Commerce: The ONDC Initiative" highlighting network growth and democratisation focus [2].

DigiDukaan is an ONDC initiative, not a standalone government scheme [1].
ONDC is a Section 8 company incorporated on 31 December 2021 [2].
ONDC operates under the administrative aegis of DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry [1][2].
ONDC pilot launched in April 2022 [2].
1.4 crore kirana stores form India's general trade base [1].
General Trade handles 75–80% of FMCG sales in India [1].
ONDC is based on the Beckn open protocol [2].
The 12 June 2026 roundtable was termed "Bharat Commerce Chintan Shivir" [1].
Roundtable chaired by Additional Secretary, DPIIT Ateesh Kumar Singh [1].
DigiDukaan focus = B2B procurement (FMCG → distributor → kirana), not B2C delivery [1].
ONDC is not a platform but a network of networks [2].

GS-III: Indian Economy — Growth, development; effects of liberalisation; e-commerce; MSMEs.
GS-II: Government schemes & DPI for vulnerable sections (small retailers).
Possible stems: 1. "ONDC has been called the 'UPI moment' of Indian commerce. Examine its potential to democratise digital trade with reference to initiatives like DigiDukaan." (GS-III) 2. "Discuss the challenges of digitising India's general trade channel dominated by 1.4 crore kirana stores." (GS-III) 3. "Evaluate the role of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in formalising India's unorganised retail sector." (GS-III)

UPI & Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) — architectural parallel to ONDC [2].
Beckn Protocol — underlying open-protocol stack [2].
PM SVANidhi & street vendors — sister scheme for unorganised retail.
National Logistics Policy 2022 — links to ONDC's logistics layer.
Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020 — regulatory backdrop.
MSME definition revision (2020) — beneficiary classification.
Account Aggregator framework — analogous open-network model in finance.
Quick commerce vs kirana debate — competitive context.

ONDC is not a Ministry / not a government department / not a platform; it's a Section 8 private non-profit promoted by DPIIT [2].
ONDC is under DPIIT (Commerce & Industry), NOT MeitY — a frequent mix-up with India Stack DPIs [1][2].
DigiDukaan ≠ Digital Saksham / Digital India / Digital MSME — it is specifically a B2B procurement vertical of ONDC [1].
ONDC was piloted in 2022, but incorporated 31 December 2021 — both dates are testable [2].
General Trade share of FMCG is 75–80%, not "over 90%" — a common distractor [1].