Skip to content
Bharat Darshan Times

 

BusinessVerified

Vijayawada SARAS Mela records ₹12.8 crore in sales and 12 lakh visitors

About 1,500 women entrepreneurs from over 30 states and UTs took part despite a cyclone.

By BDT News Desk

Published 5 Nov 2026, 7:50 AM IST · 1 min read

First National SARAS Mela 2026 (outside Delhi NCR) Concludes on a High Note in Vijayawada, Records Over ₹12.8 Crore in Sales and Attracts More Than 12 Lakh Visitors
First National SARAS Mela 2026 (outside Delhi NCR) Concludes on a High Note in Vijayawada, Records Over ₹12.8 Crore in Sales and Attracts More Than 12 Lakh Visitors Photo: PIB

The first National SARAS Mela held outside Delhi-NCR closed in Vijayawada with more than ₹12.8 crore in sales and over 12 lakh visitors, the Rural Development Ministry said, despite two days lost to a cyclone.

The fair, at Punnami Ghat, brought together about 1,500 women entrepreneurs from self-help groups (SHGs) and Lakhpati Didis from over 30 states and Union Territories. They ran 600 stalls and drew an average of 45,000 to 50,000 visitors a day. President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated it on 15 October.

The numbers

  • Sales: over ₹12.8 crore; handloom and handicrafts made up 75%.
  • Food court: the SARAS Shakti Food Court's 50 stalls reported over ₹1.9 crore.
  • Top stall: its sales peaked at ₹15.6 lakh.
  • Footfall: more than 12 lakh.

Cyclone Arnab hit Vijayawada in the final days, and the mela was temporarily shut on 28 and 29 October.

What the leaders said

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Andhra Pradesh's model for promoting SHG products, including SHE Marts and the Swayam Andhra brand, would be adopted more widely. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu urged women to become job creators and said the event should lead to year-round markets.

The Lakhpati Didi Pavilion showed 21 rural women entrepreneurs, 11 of them with annual turnover of ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore. A Lakhpati Didi is an SHG member whose household earns at least ₹1 lakh a year. The mela is tied to the Prime Minister's goal of six crore Lakhpati Didis by 2029 under DAY-NRLM.

Photos

Photo: PIB

Photo: PIB

Photo: PIB

Source: official release by the Ministry of Rural Development, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (04 NOV 2026 6:05PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: First National SARAS Mela 2026 (outside Delhi NCR) Concludes on a High Note in Vijayawada, Records Over ₹12.8 Crore in Sales and Attracts More Than 12 Lakh Visitors.

How we verified this

Verified

Every fact, figure and quotation is taken from the official PIB release (Release ID 2332675) issued by the Ministry of Rural Development on 04 NOV 2026 6:05PM by PIB Delhi; checked against the source on publication. Story written by BDT from that release; no outside facts added.

Fact-checked by Hemant Sharma on 5 Nov 2026, 7:50 AM IST.

Sources

  1. 1.First National SARAS Mela 2026 (outside Delhi NCR) Concludes on a High Note in Vijayawada, Records Over ₹12.8 Crore in Sales and Attracts More Than 12 Lakh Visi — Press Information Bureau, Government of India

Spotted an error? Tell us · Read our editorial standards

Read more