First National SARAS Mela at Vijayawada Till 31 October

The National SARAS Mela 2026, the first to be held outside Delhi-NCR, is on at Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The Ministry of Rural Development is holding it with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, supported by NABARD, NIRDPR and Kudumbashree. The fair runs till 31 October 2026 and is open daily from 11:00 am to 9:30 pm. It was inaugurated by the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu.

What a Lakhpati Didi is

A Lakhpati Didi is a woman from a self-help group household whose family earns a sustainable annual income of at least Rs 1 lakh. The target the Prime Minister has set is six crore Lakhpati Didis by 2029. Skills, credit and market access under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) are the route to that income. At the fair a Lakhpati Didi Pavilion and a 16-foot installation titled SHAKTI - The Spirit of Lakhpati Didi carry the theme.

Four enterprises on display

• Chandrakala of Lotus SHG, Tirupati, took over a family woodcarving workshop and now reports annual turnover above Rs 1 crore, employs over 100 people and supplies through the Lepakshi emporium. She wants to create work for 500 rural women.
• Siddhi of Mahamaya SHG, North Goa, built an ethnic wear label through social media after a diploma in fashion designing; her boutique reports annual turnover of Rs 60 lakh and ships orders abroad through India Post.
• Kunwari Barwa of Gumla, Jharkhand, whose group began by saving Rs 2 each, helped form a farmer producer organisation in 2022 with 381 members, now 1,501. It makes ragi laddoos and snacks, sells about Rs 6-7 lakh a month and gives regular work to over 150 women.
• Singampalli Parwathi of Anakapalli, Andhra Pradesh, began with a loan of Rs 20,000 in 2018 to trade raw cashew, added machines with Rs 50,000, and set up a larger unit with Rs 2 lakh from her group and Rs 3 lakh of bank finance under PMEGP. She now grades cashew into 11 varieties with turnover near Rs 50 lakh.

What the President said

Smt. Droupadi Murmu urged women to carry their enterprises beyond the Lakhpati milestone, and said a woman's control over her own income and assets is as much a measure of empowerment as her taking part in economic activity. She also announced that SARAS Melas will be held every year in a different State, so that rural producers get fresh markets and reach customers directly rather than through a middleman.