Daily Current Affairs : 13-September-2024

The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) has introduced Saarthi, a reference app designed to help groups create multilingual buyer packages. Developed in partnership with Bhashini, an AI-driven language translation tool, Saarthi aims to make digital trade more inclusive and accessible to a wider range of customers.

Features of Saarthi

Saarthi comes with several advanced features to help businesses in reaching diverse customer bases across India. These features include:

  • Multilingual Support: Saarthi initially supports five languages: Hindi, English, Marathi, Bangla, and Tamil. However, it plans to expand to include all 22 languages provided by Bhashini.
  • Real-time Translation: This feature allows clients and businesses to communicate effortlessly in their preferred languages, overcoming language barriers in digital commerce.
  • Transliteration and Voice Recognition: Saarthi includes transliteration, allowing users to type in their native script, and voice recognition, allowing hands-free interaction with the app. These tools are designed to enhance the user experience for people from different linguistic backgrounds.

How Saarthi Helps Businesses

Saarthi is an essential tool for businesses looking to expand their reach and improve customer engagement. Here’s how it can benefit companies:

  • Democratizing E-Commerce: By providing multilingual capabilities, Saarthi helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) reach new regions and consumer segments. This is especially important in a diverse country like India, where language can often be a barrier to digital commerce.
  • Boosting Customer Engagement: With real-time translation and voice recognition, businesses can better engage with customers, answering queries and providing services in a way that feels more personal and accessible.
  • Increasing Market Reach: With support for multiple languages, businesses can attract customers from underserved regions, which can lead to higher sales and market penetration.

Important Points:

  • Saarthi is a multilingual reference app launched by ONDC in partnership with Bhashini, an AI-driven language translation tool.
  • Initially supports 5 languages: Hindi, English, Marathi, Bangla, and Tamil, with plans to expand to 22 languages.
  • Key features of Saarthi include:
    • Real-time translation to help businesses and customers communicate across language barriers.
    • Transliteration allows users to type in their native script.
    • Voice recognition enables hands-free interaction with the app.
  • Benefits for businesses:
    • Democratizes e-commerce, helping SMEs reach new regions and customer segments.
    • Improves customer engagement by offering personalized communication in preferred languages.
    • Expands market reach, particularly in underserved regions, potentially increasing revenue.
  • Saarthi aligns with ONDC’s goal of making e-commerce more inclusive and accessible.
  • By breaking down language barriers, Saarthi helps businesses connect with a wider audience and creates a more accessible shopping experience.

Why In News

The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) has launched Saarthi, a reference app developed in collaboration with Bhashini, an AI-driven language-translation tool, designed to bridge language gaps in digital commerce and enhance accessibility for a diverse range of users across India.

MCQs about Saarthi

  1. What is the primary goal of the Saarthi app launched by ONDC?
    A. To provide financial support to small businesses
    B. To help businesses create multilingual buyer apps
    C. To offer logistics solutions for e-commerce
    D. To develop a new payment gateway
    Correct Answer: B. To help businesses create multilingual buyer apps
    Explanation: Saarthi is designed to assist businesses in creating multilingual buyer applications, helping overcome language barriers in digital commerce and providing a more inclusive experience.
  2. Which of the following features is NOT a part of the Saarthi app?
    A. Real-time translation
    B. Voice recognition
    C. Inventory management
    D. Transliteration
    Correct Answer: C. Inventory management
    Explanation: Saarthi includes features such as real-time translation, voice recognition, and transliteration, but inventory management is not part of its functionality as described in the essay.
  3. Initially, Saarthi supports how many languages, and what are they?
    A. 5 languages: Hindi, English, Marathi, Bangla, and Tamil
    B. 10 languages: Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and others
    C. 3 languages: Hindi, English, and Marathi
    D. 8 languages: Hindi, English, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Gujarati, Telugu, and Malayalam
    Correct Answer: A. 5 languages: Hindi, English, Marathi, Bangla, and Tamil
    Explanation: Saarthi initially supports five languages: Hindi, English, Marathi, Bangla, and Tamil, with plans to expand to all 22 languages offered by Bhashini.
  4. How does Saarthi aim to help businesses in terms of market reach?
    A. By offering financial incentives to businesses
    B. By reducing operating costs
    C. By providing multilingual capabilities to reach underserved regions
    D. By managing online store inventory
    Correct Answer: C. By providing multilingual capabilities to reach underserved regions
    Explanation: Saarthi helps businesses reach new customer segments and regions by offering multilingual support, which allows them to engage with diverse linguistic communities, particularly in underserved areas.

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