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National SARAS Mela 2026 Moves to Vijayawada for First Time

The National SARAS Mela 2026 is being held at Punnami Ghat, Vijayawada, the first time outside Delhi-NCR, with over 1,500 women from self-help groups taking part.

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National SARAS Mela 2026 Moves to Vijayawada for First Time

Why in News

On 12 October 2026 the Ministry of Rural Development announced that the National SARAS Mela 2026 will be held at Punnami Ghat, Vijayawada, from 13 to 31 October, the first time the fair moves outside Delhi-NCR, with President Droupadi Murmu inaugurating it on 15 October.

The Ministry of Rural Development is holding the National SARAS Mela 2026 at Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada, the first time the fair has been staged outside Delhi and the National Capital Region. The host partner is the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty of Andhra Pradesh. The fair runs from 13 to 31 October 2026 and brings together more than 1,500 women drawn from self-help groups across more than thirty states and union territories.

Who will open it

President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the fair on 15 October. The ceremony is to be attended by the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, S. Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Konidela Pawan Kalyan, Union Minister for Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and Ministers of State Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Kamlesh Paswan and Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma.

The scheme behind the fair

The fair is tied to the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission, shortened to DAY-NRLM, and to the stated goal of creating six crore Lakhpati Didis by 2029. Along with the SARAS Aajeevika Gallery and the eSARAS digital platform, it gives rural women entrepreneurs a route to larger markets and to buyers beyond their own districts.

What visitors will see

  • Crafts and textiles from across the country, among them Phulkari from Punjab, Pashmina from Jammu and Kashmir, Ikat and Telia weaves from Telangana and Paunchei from Mizoram
  • Meenakari, Dokra work, brassware, woodcraft and traditional paintings
  • Regional cuisines served from fifty food stalls
  • A signature installation sixteen feet tall called SHAKTI - The Spirit of Lakhpati Didi

The pavilions

The Lakhpati Didi Pavilion traces the path women take from skills and collective work to enterprise, market access and steady income. The Knowledge Pavilion puts participants in touch with companies and experts on branding, marketing, packaging and business development. The Convergence Pavilion links them to government departments and institutions, while the Demo Pavilion shows handlooms being woven and handicrafts being shaped before visitors. NABARD and the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj are among the partners supporting the fair, which also coincides with the Dasara festivities in the city.

Important Facts

EventNational SARAS Mela 2026
VenuePunnami Ghat, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
First timeFirst National SARAS Mela held outside Delhi-NCR
Dates13 to 31 October 2026
OrganisersMinistry of Rural Development with the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), Andhra Pradesh
ParticipantsMore than 1,500 self-help group women from over thirty states and union territories
To be inaugurated byPresident Droupadi Murmu, on 15 October
Parent missionDeendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)
Lakhpati Didi goalSix crore Lakhpati Didis by 2029
Signature installationSHAKTI - The Spirit of Lakhpati Didi, sixteen feet tall
Supporting partnersNABARD and the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj

Exam Point of View

Note the venue (Punnami Ghat, Vijayawada), that this is the first National SARAS Mela outside Delhi-NCR, the dates, the state partner body (Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty), the number of participating women and states, who will inaugurate it, the parent mission (DAY-NRLM), the Lakhpati Didi target and year, and the name of the sixteen-foot installation.

Practice Questions

Q1.Government SchemesEasy

In which city is the National SARAS Mela 2026 being held, the first such fair outside Delhi-NCR?

  1. A.Visakhapatnam
  2. B.Vijayawada
  3. C.Hyderabad
  4. D.Tirupati
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Vijayawada

Explanation

The correct answer is Vijayawada. The Ministry of Rural Development is holding the fair at Punnami Ghat in that city, working with the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty of Andhra Pradesh, and this is the first time the National SARAS Mela has been staged outside Delhi and the National Capital Region. The fair runs through the second half of October and draws more than fifteen hundred women from self-help groups across more than thirty states and union territories. Option A, Visakhapatnam, and option D, Tirupati, are cities of Andhra Pradesh but are not the venue. Option C, Hyderabad, is in Telangana and is also incorrect. Aspirants should remember the city, the exact venue and the fact that this edition marks a first for the fair.

Q2.Government SchemesMedium

Who will inaugurate the National SARAS Mela 2026 at Vijayawada?

  1. A.The Prime Minister
  2. B.The President of India
  3. C.The Vice-President
  4. D.The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The President of India

Explanation

The correct answer is the President of India. Droupadi Murmu, who holds that office, will inaugurate the fair on the fifteenth of October. The ceremony is to be attended by the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, S. Abdul Nazeer, the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Deputy Chief Minister, Konidela Pawan Kalyan, and the Union Minister for Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, along with other Union and state ministers. Option A and option C name the Prime Minister and the Vice-President, neither of whom is listed as inaugurating the fair. Option D names the Chief Minister, who will attend the ceremony but is not the one opening it. The distinction between attending and inaugurating is worth care in such questions.

Q3.Government SchemesMedium

The National SARAS Mela is aligned with which mission of the Ministry of Rural Development?

  1. A.Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission
  2. B.Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin
  3. C.Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana
  4. D.Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission

Explanation

The correct answer is the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission, shortened to DAY-NRLM. The fair is held in line with that mission and with the declared goal of creating six crore Lakhpati Didis, and it works alongside the SARAS Aajeevika Gallery and the eSARAS digital platform to connect self-help group products to wider markets. Option B names the rural housing scheme, option C a rural skill development scheme and option D the rural employment guarantee law; all three are rural programmes, but none of them is the mission the fair is aligned with. Candidates should remember the full expansion of DAY-NRLM, the Lakhpati Didi target and the target year together, since questions often combine the scheme with its numerical goal.

Q4.Government SchemesHard

What is the name of the sixteen-foot signature installation at the National SARAS Mela 2026?

  1. A.SHAKTI - The Spirit of Lakhpati Didi
  2. B.SARAS - The Pride of Rural India
  3. C.NARI - The Strength of Bharat
  4. D.AAJEEVIKA - The Path to Prosperity
Show answer
Correct answer: A. SHAKTI - The Spirit of Lakhpati Didi

Explanation

The correct answer is SHAKTI - The Spirit of Lakhpati Didi. Standing sixteen feet tall at the fair, the installation is meant to represent the collective strength of the women who keep traditional craftsmanship alive while turning their skills into livelihoods and independence. The fair also has four pavilions: the Lakhpati Didi Pavilion on the journey from skills to enterprise, the Knowledge Pavilion on branding, marketing, packaging and business development, the Convergence Pavilion linking women to government departments, and the Demo Pavilion with live craft demonstrations. Options B, C and D give invented names that do not appear in connection with the fair. Aspirants should link the installation's name with its height and with the Lakhpati Didi theme running through the event.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the National SARAS Mela 2026 being held?

At Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, from 13 to 31 October 2026. It is the first National SARAS Mela to be held outside Delhi and the National Capital Region.

Who will inaugurate the National SARAS Mela 2026?

President Droupadi Murmu, on 15 October. The Governor and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are among those expected at the ceremony.

Which mission is the SARAS Mela linked to?

The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission, and the goal of creating six crore Lakhpati Didis by 2029. The eSARAS platform and SARAS Aajeevika Gallery support the same effort.

Sources