Rural Development Minister Faggan Singh Kulaste Inaugurates Saras Food Festival 2022

He also launched the e-commerce portal www.esaras.in for better and more effective marketing of Saras products prepared by women of self-help groups.

The minister said the Rural Development Ministry will take steps to establish Saras stalls by women SHGs in all State capitals, major cities, metros, airports, and railway stations to widen its reach.

Kulaste said that more and more people will be exposed to ethnic & homemade handicrafts, paintings, toys, food & other items. He added that each woman beneficiary must save at least 1 lakh rupees per year through sale of local products.

Undelining PM Modi’s AatmaNirbhar Bharat campaign the minister said today the best SHGs products are being exported to different countries and there is a need for more and more awareness campaign both locally as well as globally about their niche products via e-commerce platforms and other avenues. He also suggested that efforts must be made to identify the challenges with the existing products, their packaging and branding.

The Minister pointed out that presently women self-help groups are associated with Mid-Day meal scheme, Har Ghar Nal se Jal yojana and thus there is a need to provide them profitable avenues in other schemes of the Central Government.

Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Nagendra Nath Sinha who was also present on the occasion said that about 8 crore 62 lakh women are members of SHGs and they have presence in 97 percent of Blocks, while 85 percent of them are directly connected with the Ministry’s network. He added that the Ministry has already signed agreements with e-commerce giants such as Flipkart, and Amazon.

He advised the SHGs and craftsmen to understand consumer's demand to improve the products. He said the Ministry will give publicity to the Mela through advertisement and SMS marketing so that all participants will get a chance to showcase their products to a large number of audiences. He said Delhi is a melting pot of diverse cultures in India and people here will get access to their ethnic & own soil products both through online and physical platforms

About 150 women entrepreneurs and members of self-help groups from 18 states will be participating in this event which gives them an opportunity to showcase their skills in the field of food making and introduce people to the food culture of our country. These SHG women are proficient in making rural products and preparing traditional dishes of their states.

People who visit the festival can taste the unique flavours of delicious cuisine from 18 states. These cuisines include, Kair Sagari, Gatte ki Sabzi, Bajra Roti from Rajasthan, Hilsa Fish Curry from West Bengal, Chicken from Telangana, Malabar Biryani from Kerala, Litti Chokha from Bihar, Sarso da Saag and Makke ki Roti from Punjab and famous food from other states.

People can also taste the delicious dishes from Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Gujarat in this food festival.