New Delhi, Jul 19 (IANS): E-commerce platform Snapdeal is set to debut on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), a Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-type initiative of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, next month.

The company said in a statement that it signed the onboarding agreement to join the ONDC platform earlier this month.

Teams on both sides are in advanced stages of completing the required technical integration to enable a pan-India launch by mid-August, it added.

At the time of launch, more than 2,500 cities and towns across the country will be enabled for access and more cities and towns will be added as per ONDC network expansion during the year.

"The increasing digitization of India's retail is a transformative opportunity that can greatly benefit the sellers, buyers and other stakeholders. Snapdeal looks forward to a strong partnership with ONDC in this path-breaking endeavour", said Himanshu Chakrawarti, President, Snapdeal.

Various third-party logistics providers who work with Snapdeal will provide both inter and intra-city logistics.

Snapdeal said it may also explore using the on-network logistics options available on the ONDC platform.

It will arrive on ONDC with three key categories - fashion, home and beauty and personal care.

With ONDC, the government is trying to create the largest interoperable open platform in a bid to break e-commerce monopolies and build a more democratised digital marketplace by bringing micro, small, and medium enterprise as well as small traders online.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has announced that ONDC will gradually be expanded to more cities in the near future, as it has the potential to connect the entire farm value chain.

The Centre also envisions ONDC as a private sector-led, non-profit company to bring focus on ethical and responsible behaviour while providing for trust, rigorous norms of governance, accountability, and transparency.