Women SHG members from 15 states to participate in nat’l expo

Mangaluru: A national-level ‘Namma Saras Mela-2026' exhibition and sale fair of products made by women's self-help groups (SHG) is being organised from Feb 20 to 28 at the Karavali grounds. The mela is being held in collaboration with the department of skill development, entrepreneurship, and livelihood, Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Mission (KSRLM), Dakshina Kannada district administration, zilla panchayat, and Mangaluru City Corporation. Women from SHGs from 15 different states and all districts of the state will participate with their district's key products, said zilla panchayat CEO Narwade Vinayak Karbhari.He told reporters on Tuesday, that under the KSRLM, 3.1 lakh SHGs organised 32 lakh families in rural and urban areas, and 39,000 SHGs organised 3.9 lakh families in urban areas. To market the products made by women in SHGs, events like village fairs, monthly taluk-level fairs, and district exhibitions are organised. Namma Saras Mela will feature 120 stalls displaying and selling products, and a separate food fair will host 30 live food courts from the state and other states. Public entry to the fair is free, and it will be open daily from 10.30 am to 9.30 pm, the CEO said.Highlights of the fair include stalls with products made by women SHGs, such as Channapatna wooden toys, Koppal's Kinhal toys, Molakalmuru, Ilkal, silk saris, various attractive garments, jute bags, spice, millet, value-added coastal products, various types of khadi and banana-fibre products, home décor items, ayurvedic products, traditional, household items and innovative jewellery designs and food products, all available at affordable prices, he said.An ‘Akka Cafe' (food court) will be an additional attraction at the exhibition. The food court will feature stalls preparing and serving famous north Karnataka dishes like girmit/churumuri mandakki, jolada khadak rotti and holige, along with Belagavi kunda, Dharwad peda, Mysore pak, neer dosa, khaara bath, kadabu, and non-vegetarian dishes like prawns fry, roti-chicken sukka, ragi mudde-chicken curry biryani, fresh juices, and snacks from other states, he said.Cultural evenings will be organised every day from 6.30 pm at the venue, featuring various cultural programmes in collaboration with the Kannada and cultural department. Training sessions and lectures supporting women's entrepreneurial activities will be held daily from 11.30 am to 1.30 pm, he said, adding that chief minister Siddaramaiah and Union minister for rural development and panchayati raj Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be the guests at the inaugural ceremony.