Gandhinagar, Aug 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) As religious fairs draw large numbers of devotees during the Shravan month, the Gujarat government is setting up dedicated stalls for products made by women associated with Sakhi Mandals, allowing them to sell directly to consumers across several districts.
Under the ‘Shravan Festival’ initiative, the government will provide special platforms to Sakhi Mandal women for direct sales from August 26 to September 7.
The initiative covers fairs and religious events in Rajkot, Ghela Somnath, Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Devbhumi Dwarka, Bhavnagar and Narmada district, with a total of 195 stalls planned for the women.
The stalls will feature food products, handicrafts, handlooms, traditional clothing, puja materials, home-decor items and other locally made products produced by self-help groups working under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
The programme aims to give rural women direct access to consumers while promoting the ‘Vocal for Local’ and ‘Lakhpati Didi’ initiatives. The programme will also distribute financial assistance cheques to Sakhi Mandal women as an incentive.
Preparations are under way in Rajkot and Ghela Somnath. The Ghela Somnath fair will begin on August 26 and continue for five days, while the Rajkot fair will be held at Race Course from September 2 to 6.
Ghela Somnath is a historic Shiva temple in Jasdan taluka, Rajkot district, and attracts devotees, particularly during Shravan.
At the Rajkot fair, 40 stalls will be allotted to Sakhi Mandal women, while 15 stalls will be provided at Ghela Somnath. Porbandar will have 65 stalls, Gir Somnath 20 and Devbhumi Dwarka 20.
Another 20 stalls will be set up at the Nishkalank Mahadev fair in Bhavnagar, while 15 will be provided at Nilkanthdham, Poicha, in Narmada district.
The Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company Ltd (GLPC), under the Rural Development Department, will provide the participating women with stalls free of charge.
The government will also arrange accommodation and food, and reimburse travel expenses, allowing them to participate without additional costs.
The state government also provides free training to rural women to help them become economically self-reliant. The government provides interest-free loans for equipment needed to produce handicraft items.
The initiative comes as the government seeks to expand market opportunities for rural women through self-help groups.
Women associated with Sakhi Mandals are increasingly being encouraged to generate income through locally produced goods and contribute to their household earnings as part of the broader ‘Lakhpati Didi’ programme.
The government said the initiatives being undertaken under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel are intended to strengthen women’s economic participation and help rural women become more self-reliant.
Source: IANS
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