NITI Aayog extends ‘Vocal for Local’ drive to 500 products in Aspirational Blocks

Local products from 500 aspirational blocks have been mapped and consolidated under the Aakanksha brand

March 14, 2024

Local products from 500 aspirational blocks have been mapped and consolidated under the Aakanksha brand

Comprehensive capacity-building approach is expected to significantly strengthen the ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative

The NITI Aayog has mapped and consolidated local products from 500 aspirational blocks under the ‘Vocal for Local‘ initiative under its Aspirational Blocks Program.

The launch was attended by all 329 districts and block-level officials who connected virtually for the event.

Niti Aayog’s move is aimed at encouraging the spirit of self-reliance among the people and propelling them towards sustainable growth and prosperity.

NITI Aayog CEO B V R Subrahmanyam in his keynote address urged the district collectors and the block-level officials to collaborate with partners like the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to facilitate sustainable growth of micro-enterprises in the aspirational blocks.

As a part of this initiative, the products are blanketed under the Aakanksha brand.

Subrahmanyam said that Aakanksha is an umbrella brand, which could be supplemented into multiple sub-brands that have the potential to create an international market.

In order to encourage these products, a dedicated window for the Aspirational Blocks Programme under the brand name Aakanksha has been established on the GeM portal.

The partners will also provide technical and operational support for the facilitation of e-commerce onboarding, establishing linkages, financial/ digital literacy, documentation/ certification, and skill enhancement, among others.

This comprehensive capacity-building approach is expected to significantly strengthen the ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative, thereby ensuring sustainability.

[With Inputs from IANS]

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