Itanagar, Jan 14: Chief Minister Pema Khandu emphasized that India’s overall development is closely tied to the empowerment of women, especially in rural areas. Speaking at the inauguration of the SARAS Fair on Monday, Khandu stated, “India will develop when the Northeast develops, the Northeast will develop when Arunachal develops, and Arunachal will develop when its villages and women develop.”
The SARAS Fair, organized by the state government, provides a platform for rural artisans to showcase and sell their handicrafts, handlooms, and organic products, offering a connection to national and international markets. The fair aims to promote sustainable livelihoods for self-help groups (SHGs) across the state.
Khandu highlighted the success of SHGs in Arunachal, noting that they manage a corpus of about Rs 300 crores, showcasing the scale of collective efforts. He also announced that over 1,600 women in the state have been certified as “lakhpati didis” through various livelihood programs, with capacity-building initiatives underway for an additional 29,000 SHG members.
The Chief Minister launched a new initiative to support artisans involved in handloom, handicrafts, crochet, knitting, and embroidery. The initiative will provide advanced training, design expertise, and seed capital of Rs 2 lakh per cluster to strengthen rural artisans and improve their livelihoods. A total of Rs 3 crore in capital support was allocated for developing these clusters.
Additionally, Khandu announced plans to establish a permanent marketing outlet for SHG products in the state capital. This outlet will serve as a year-round platform for artisans to sell their goods, while an inventory and fulfillment hub will be set up to facilitate the sale of SHG products on e-commerce platforms, expanding market reach.
The SARAS Fair also features food stalls managed by the “Mother’s Kitchen” project, which supports over 3,500 SHG members. The fair includes participants from various states, such as Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, and Jharkhand.
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