STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Union Minister for Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday formally inaugurated the Asomi Saras Mela 2025-26 in the presence of Assam's Minister for Panchayat & Rural Development, Ranjeet Kumar Dass.
Organized by the Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ASRLM), the fair is being held at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati, and will continue till March 8. The event features more than 250 stalls showcasing products made by Self-Help Groups (SHGs) from Assam and several other states.
Visitors can explore a wide range of items including Assam's traditional muga mekhela chador, GI-tagged water hyacinth products, bamboo and cane crafts, masks, and other handmade goods. Products from other states such as Kolhapuri footwear from Maharashtra, kosa sarees from Chhattisgarh, khadi kurtas, black raisins, handcrafted jewellery from Goa, and various regional delicacies are also available.
Addressing the gathering, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan described the SHG women as a "powerful example of women's empowerment" and urged them to take a pledge to become "Lakhpati Baideo." He stressed the need for dedicated buyer-seller meets to ensure strong marketing platforms for SHG products and announced that steps would be taken to open permanent 'C-Mart' outlets in every district of the country to enable year-round sales.
He also called upon women to join SHGs so that none remains below the poverty line, and lauded the initiatives taken under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma for women's empowerment. The Union Minister further appreciated the efforts of Assam's Panchayat & Rural Development Department in making women self-reliant.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass said the relevance and scale of the Saras Mela have been steadily increasing. He noted that sales at the fair have grown from Rs 4.18 crore in 2021 to nearly Rs 20 crore in 2024, reflecting the rising popularity of SHG products. He appealed to individuals as well as government offices to purchase SHG products to support women entrepreneurs and thanked all participating SHG members from Assam and other states.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Panchayat & Rural Development Department, Dr. B. Kalyan Chakravarthy, delivered the welcome address, while ASRLM State Mission Director Kuntal Moni Sarma Bordoloi offered the vote of thanks.
Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, Shailesh Kumar Singh, also spoke at the event. Among others present were MP Bijuli Kalita Medhi, MLAs Atul Bora, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, and Ramendra Narayan Kalita, Joint Secretary of the Union Rural Development Ministry Smriti Charan, Director Dr. Malishri, and several other dignitaries.
Also read: Guwahati: Asomi Saras Mela Concludes with Rs. 19.69 Crore in Sales