Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh), Oct 15 President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said the country could achieve self-reliance before 2047, expressing confidence in the growing economic empowerment of rural women through SHGs.
Addressing the National SARAS Mela, 2026 at Punnami Ghat here, she said the event had traditionally been held in Delhi and was being organised in the southern state for the first time.
“India is moving towards self-reliance and looking at the growing economic empowerment of rural women through Self-Help Groups (SHGs), I believe the country could achieve this goal even before 2047,” the president said.
The Sale of Articles of Rural Artisans Society (SARAS) Mela, organised jointly by the Union Rural Development Ministry and the Andhra Pradesh government, provides a platform for rural artisans and women SHGs to showcase and market their products.
President Murmu said such melas would be organised every year in different states, providing women entrepreneurs with greater opportunities to showcase and market their products.
She emphasised that women were becoming self-reliant and helping others achieve economic independence. Some women were earning more than Rs 2 lakh a month, she added.
The president said the country should now move beyond the goal of creating ‘Lakhpati Didis’ and work towards developing ‘Crorepati Didis’, encouraging women to expand their businesses and increase their earnings.
She said the growing empowerment of women through rural livelihoods and entrepreneurship gave reason to believe that India could become self-reliant even before the 2047 target.
The 14-day National SARAS Mela, being held from October 15 to 31, features around 650 stalls showcasing products made by women associated with Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) groups. She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken special measures to promote rural women’s economic empowerment, adding that SHG members were increasingly participating in technological and financial activities.
The president stressed the need to provide SHGs with greater resources and strengthen women-led organisations under the Rural Livelihood Mission.
She said these measures had improved women’s financial conditions and awareness.
Murmu called for eliminating intermediaries and supporting rural women, particularly women farmers, to achieve financial independence.
She also emphasised the need to improve women’s awareness of digital platforms and practices.
Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer said the event assumed greater significance as it coincided with the Sharannavaratri celebrations at Indrakeeladri and the second edition of Vijayawada Utsav.
He described the programme as a celebration of the strength, creativity, enterprise and determination of women SHG members from across the country.
He said SHGs had emerged as powerful instruments of social change and economic transformation through collective action, access to credit, skill development, enterprise promotion and market linkages.
Women were transforming themselves from beneficiaries of development programmes into entrepreneurs and agents of change, he added.
The SARAS Ajivika Mela brings together 630 stalls and around 1,500 SHG women participants representing states and Union Territories across India.
It showcases handlooms, handicrafts, natural food products, live food courts and products from Farmer Producer Organisations and Cluster Level Federations.
With an expected footfall of 50,000 to 1 lakh a day, the mela offers women entrepreneurs opportunities to connect with customers, explore new markets and expand their businesses, he said.
The governor said the focus should extend beyond livelihood generation to building profitable, sustainable and scalable women-led enterprises.
He stressed the need to provide women entrepreneurs access to finance, modern technology, branding, packaging, quality certification and reliable market linkages.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu observed that SARAS Mela during the Dasara festival brought charm to Vijayawada, and Murmu inaugurating it is the embodiment of women’s power and the personification of New India’s power.
“To proclaim women’s power, this event is being held outside Delhi in Vijayawada for the first time. Our goal is to increase the income of rural women, encourage women industrialists and bring recognition to village products,” Naidu said.
According to the CM, only when women rise, then their families, society and the country will rise. He said PM Narendra Modi aims to create six crore ‘lakh pati didis’.
Naidu asserted that 11 lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs) with a turnover of Rs 69,000 crore have propelled Andhra to the top position, adding that in a year, one lakh SHG women were groomed into entrepreneurs.
“We are striving to turn 5 lakh women into business persons and 10 lakh women into entrepreneurs. We brought Swayam AP brand for the products being made by women, and this brand will be available on e-commerce platforms,” he said.
Under the ‘Stree Shakti’ free bus ride scheme, he said women took 100 crore journeys.
He noted that the government will proceed to accomplish the Swarna Andhra 2047 vision with the help of SHGs.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan noted that PM Modi and Naidu are working towards SGHs’ financial empowerment.
“CM Chandrababu is strengthening DWCRA women with the help of technology. There are 11 lakh SGHs in AP,” he said.
Chouhan promised to market the products made by SGHs through ‘SheMarts’ and noted that women SGHs’ partnership is key to achieving Viksit Bharat.
(PTI News)
