States » SouthPosted at: Oct 17 2026 9:52PM


AP: National SARAS Mela attracting huge crowds, Rs 2 Cr. worth products sold

Vijayawada, Oct 17 (UNI) The National SARAS Mela, being organised for the first time in Vijayawada under the aegis of the union Ministry of Rural Development, with the support of the Andhra Pradesh Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), is attracting an overwhelming response from the public, said National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) Additional Director Sudheer Kumar.
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Sudheer Kumar said the primary objective of the mela was to provide a national-level marketing platform for products made by women members of self-help groups (SHGs) across the country and encourage women entrepreneurs.
Around 600 stalls have been set up at the mela featuring handloom products, handicrafts and natural food products. A special food court with 50 live food stalls has also been established to offer visitors traditional cuisines from different states.
Around 1,500 women entrepreneurs representing self-help groups from 32 states and union Territories are enthusiastically participating in the event and showcasing their products.
Special pavilions have been established at the exhibition grounds to ensure the convenience of visitors and participating artisans. A Convergence Pavilion has been set up to showcase various government schemes and create awareness among SHG members about the programmes implemented by different government departments.
The Lakhpati Didi Pavilion is another major attraction, highlighting the success stories, business skills and unique products of women entrepreneurs. The Demo Pavilion, where women demonstrate how they manufacture their products, is also drawing considerable interest from visitors.
SERP Administrative Director Kalyana Chakravarthy said 600 stalls had been allotted free of cost to women self-help groups and artisans. Free travel, food and accommodation facilities had also been provided to participating representatives and artisans from across the country.
The event is witnessing a daily footfall of approximately 40,000 to 50,000 visitors. He said 600 stalls had been allotted free of cost to women self-help groups and artisans. Products made by women SHGs are attracting buyers, and sales worth approximately Rs 2 crore have been recorded so far, Chakravarthy said.
National Institute of Rural Development Joint Director Khataaria and NTR District Project Director A.N.V. Nanchararao were present.
UNI DP CDS
Tags: #AP: National SARAS Mela attracting huge crowds# Rs 2 Cr. worth products sold
More News

Areekkara Subrahmanyan Sankaran Namboothiri selected as Sabarimala chief priest; A Damodaran Namboothiri for Malikappuram

18 Oct 2026 | 10:08 PM

Sabarimala, Oct 18 (UNI) Areekkara Subrahmanyan Sankaran Namboothiri, currently serving as the chief priest of the Pazhavangadi Ganapathy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, has been selected as the new Melsanthi of the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala.

see more..

Shivakumar takes dig at Kumaraswamy over party dissolution remark

18 Oct 2026 | 10:01 PM

Mysuru, Oct 18 (UNI) Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday took a swipe at union Minister HD Kumaraswamy over his earlier remark that he would dissolve his party if it failed to secure a majority, while seeking opposition support for an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the problems faced by sugarcane growers and the state's drought situation.

see more..

Thiruvananthapuram airport to suspend flights for five hours on Oct 20

18 Oct 2026 | 9:43 PM

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 18 (UNI) Flight operations at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport will be suspended for five hours on October 20 to facilitate the traditional Alpasi Arattu procession of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, which passes through the airport runway.

see more..

T'gana: Governor calls for water conservation, protection of natural resources

18 Oct 2026 | 9:41 PM

Hyderabad, Oct. 18 (UNI) Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla today called upon people to conserve water and protect natural resources, saying the future of coming generations depended on safeguarding the environment.

see more..

Cyclonic circulation over bay weakens, Met office withdraws Red Alert for Chennai

18 Oct 2026 | 9:33 PM

Chennai, Oct 18 (UNI) The Met office on Sunday evening withdrew the Red Alert (extreme rainfall of over 20 cm rains) issued for Chennai for Sunday due to weakening of the cyclonic circulation over the North Chennai coast and cloud development, while scaling it down to Yellow alert (around 10 cm rains).

see more..