Bengaluru,  Flipkart on Friday announced more benefits for over 6 lakh sellers who are artisans, weavers, craftsmen and owners of other small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from the underserved communities in the country.

Earlier, the Samarth sellers enjoyed a commission waiver of zero per cent for the first 6 months of their onboarding the platform and then, the commission varied.

Now, after the completion of six months at zero commission, the sellers will be charged a standard 5 per cent commission, at par with the industry standards, giving them more scope to grow their business online, Flipkart said in a statement.

"MSMEs are the most vibrant and dynamic contributors to our economy. It is about time for India's rich cultural heritage to make it a global hub for handicrafts and goods and collaborating with e-commerce companies is a win-win situation for both," said Union Minister of State for MSME Pratap Chandra Sarangi.

Flipkart Samarth gives the businesses access to its growing pan-India customer base of more than 200 million.

The company said the Samarth Sellers will also be granted free cataloguing support for limited no of products, advertising credits for the first month to help them garner prominent visibility on the platform, registration and listing training.

Today, Flipkart Samarth is able to support the livelihood of over 6,00,000 artisans, weavers and craftsmen across India and is working towards bringing more such sellers to the platform.

Flipkart has partnered with several government bodies to bring local artisans, weavers and craftsmen into the e-commerce fold to leverage the platform's benefits.

These include partnerships with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, UP Khadi Village and Industries Board and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) to set-up Flipkart Samarth in 22 states.

"The year gone by has given us greater confidence and sharper direction for our future endeavours and we will continue to expand our reach and support to these small businesses, rural entrepreneurs and Indian handicrafts, etc," said Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group.

Flipkart also supports MSMEs through Walmart Vriddhi, a supplier development programme that aims to empower 50,000 MSMEs for the local and global markets.