Rural Maharashtra beckons city with Mahalaxmi Saras

Nagpur: From year-long talmali flower garlands to mushroom pickles, millet breads and export-quality grapes, vibrant flavours and crafts of rural Maharashtra found their way to the city as the state-level Mahalaxmi Saras 2026 exhibition was inaugurated at Reshimbagh ground on Tuesday.The exhibition, organised by the rural development and Panchayat Raj department, ‘Umed Mission', and Nagpur Zilla Parishad, will run until March 23. Along with over 350 stalls displaying food items, handicrafts, handloom and household products, the event also features cultural programmes.Addressing the gathering, Divisional Commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari said the ‘Umed Mission' is steadily transforming rural livelihoods by enabling women to build sustainable enterprises through self-help groups. "Economic empowerment is the most visible indicator of women's progress, and the response to initiatives like ‘Umed and Lakhpati Didi' shows how effectively rural women are embracing entrepreneurship," she said.Highlighting the scale of the programme, Bidari said around 24 lakh women across Maharashtra became ‘Lakhpati Didis' in the past year, while nearly 97,000 women from Nagpur district alone reached the milestone, reflecting the expanding participation of women in income-generating activities across rural areas.Furthermore, Vidarbha president of Sanskar Bharati Kanchan Gadkari said exhibitions like Mahalaxmi Saras provide an important marketplace for products made by women self-help groups, helping them expand their enterprises.Speaking on occasion, CEO Umed – Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission (MSRLM), Nilesh Sagar, said, "Women associated with self-help groups are being trained in various income-generating activities. The mission is working to help more women become ‘Lakhpati Didis'."Actress Sonali Kulkarni, ZP CEO Vinayak Mahamuni, NMC commissioner Vipin Itankar and standing committee chairman Shivani Dani were present.