National SARAS Mela to remain open on November 1

Visitors walk past various stalls at the National SARAS Mela-2026 at Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada. | Photo Credit: G.N. RAO

Even as the National SARAS Mela 2026, being organised at Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada, officially came to a close on Saturday, the organisers have decided to keep it open to the public for one more day.

All stalls will remain open on Sunday as well, according to official information. Beginning on October 13, the mela provided a platform to Self Help Group (SHG) women from across the country to showcase traditional crafts, handloom and natural food products and regional delicacies.

Many Central and State officials took part in the closing ceremony of the mela organised by the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).

Addressing the gathering, SERP Director (Livelihoods) Siva Shankar Prasad said the mela recorded sales of ₹12.11 crore over the past 19 days. He described hosting the mela in Andhra Pradesh as a privilege. This is the first time since 1999 that the mela was organised in a city other than New Delhi.

NTR District Collector G. Lakshmisha expressed pride in the event’s success and said the event was made possible through the collective efforts of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, Electricity department, police, CCTV and sanitation teams, along with the MoRD and SERP leadership. The Collector thanked the SHG entrepreneurs who travelled from across the country and brought a wide range of products to Vijayawada.

Awards were presented to SHGs and coordinators for excellence in handloom, handicrafts, natural food products, live food, product quality and packaging, stall design and display, customer engagement, innovation and social media presence.

Published - October 31, 2026 08:52 pm IST