National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCF)

About National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCF):

• It was established on 16th October 1965 to function as the apex body of consumer cooperatives in the country. 
• It is an organization to promote consumer cooperative movement in the country, aspires to facilitate the voluntary formation and democratic functioning of cooperatives, based on self-reliance and mutual aid for overall economic betterment and financial autonomy.
• It is registered under the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002.
• NCCF functions under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Structure:
  • The management of NCCF vests in the Board of Directors. 
  • The ultimate authority of NCCF vests in the hands of the General Body.
  • Board of Directors exercises all the powers of NCCF except those reserved for General Body.
  • The current sanctioned strength of the Board of Directors is 21.

What is Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)?

• It is an open-source network set up to enable buyers and sellers to transact with each other irrespective of the e-commerce platform on which either of them is registered.
• It will enable local commerce across segments, such as mobility, grocery, food order and delivery, hotel booking and travel, among others, to be discovered and engaged by any network-enabled application.
• It is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• It comprises buyer-side apps where consumers can place orders, seller-side apps that onboard merchants and display their listings, and logistics platforms that handle deliveries.
• Benefits:
  • It offers small retailers an opportunity to provide their services and goods to buyers across the country through an e-commerce system.
  • ONDC enables merchants to save their data to build credit history and reach consumers.
  • It is expected to digitise the entire value chain, promote the inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiencies in logistics and enhance value for consumers.
  • ONDC protocols would standardize operations like cataloguing, inventory management, order management and order fulfilment.