VIJAYAWADA: In a major impetus to rural women’s entrepreneurship and grassroots economic empowerment, Vijayawada is set to host the first National SARAS Mela 2026 at Punnami Ghat from October 13 to 31.
Jointly organised by the Union Ministry of Rural Development and the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), Andhra Pradesh, the 19-day national exposition will bring together over 1,500 Self-Help Group (SHG) women entrepreneurs from more than 30 States and Union Territories across 600-plus stalls. President of India Droupadi Murmu will formally inaugurate the grand event as Chief Guest on October 15 at 11.30 am.
The inauguration ceremony will witness high-level representation, including Governor S Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Deputy Chief Minister Konidala Pawan Kalyan.
They will be joined by Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu, Union Ministers of State Chandrasekhar Pemmasani, Kamlesh Paswan, and Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma, alongside MSME Minister Kondapalli Srinivas, Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanadh, and Union Rural Development Secretary Rohit Kansal.
Aligning with the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) and the Prime Minister’s target of creating 6 crore Lakhpati Didis by 2029, the Mela integrates physical markets with the eSARAS digital platform and the SARAS Aajeevika Gallery to scale up market access for rural artisans.