President Murmu To Inaugurate Saras Aajeevika Mela In Vijayawada On Oct. 15

VIJAYAWADA: President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the Saras Aajeevika Mela-2026 at Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada on October 15, providing a national-level marketing platform for women members of self-help groups (SHGs) to showcase and promote their products.

The mela, organised in coordination with the Central and State governments, will feature more than 600 stalls run by SHG members from across the country. It will also have a food court offering regional cuisines and cultural programmes throughout the event.

Union minister of state for rural development and communications Pemmasani Chandrasekhar and Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni) inspected the arrangements at Punnami Ghat on Saturday.

Addressing a press conference, Pemmasani extended Navaratri greetings and said Vijayawada would host two major events during the Dasara festivities — Vijayawada Utsav and the Saras Mela.

He said the national-level fair would enable women from SHGs across India to display their products and connect with potential customers. The organisers were planning activities and facilities to make the event an attraction for families.

Recalling last year’s mela in Guntur, Pemmasani said the event had attracted considerable attention. He said it had been brought to Vijayawada at the request of Kesineni Chinni.

The MP thanked Pemmasani for bringing the event to Vijayawada and said it aligned with the efforts of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote entrepreneurship and women’s economic empowerment.

Kesineni said Naidu aimed to encourage entrepreneurship in every household, while Modi’s Lakhpati Didi initiative sought to help women achieve financial independence through self-employment.

Women from different states will run the food court, giving visitors an opportunity to sample regional cuisines, he said.

Kesineni urged SHG members from across Andhra Pradesh to visit the mela, study the products on display and learn ways to increase demand for their products and build distinctive brands. He said such initiatives could expand markets for SHG products and raise Vijayawada’s profile as a venue for large public events.

He added that cultural programmes would run throughout the mela, providing families with entertainment and giving women entrepreneurs opportunities to showcase their products and learn from their counterparts across the country.