President Murmu to Grace Vijayawada SARAS Mela as Chief Guest

The National SARAS Mela, organised under the aegis of the Central Government with the support of the Andhra Pradesh government, will be inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu in Vijayawada tomorrow. Ahead of the inauguration, Union Minister of State Pemmasani Chandrasekhar and Andhra Pradesh Minister Kondapalli Srinivas inspected the facilities arranged at the venue. The event will showcase products made by 480 self-help groups from across the country. The organisers aim to provide women’s self-help groups with national-level marketing opportunities and encourage women to participate in both production and marketing. Special training centres have also been established at Ambedkar Kala Vedika to help women develop their skills, in line with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s vision.

The organisers stated that Vijayawada is hosting the national-level SARAS Mela for the first time after Delhi, with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Special stalls featuring traditional cuisines from different states have been arranged as part of the event. Visitors coming to Vijayawada for the Dasara festivities and to seek the blessings of Goddess Durga have been encouraged to visit the mela and support women-led enterprises. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is expected to visit on October 17 or 18, while Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar is also expected to attend, according to the statement.