The Chief Minister of Haryana, Nayab Singh Saini, pushed the general public to buy stuff from the local artisans and give priority to purchasing from them to support small entrepreneurs. Haryana CM Saini was addressing the closing ceremony of the ‘Saras Aajeevika Mela-2025’ at the Parade Ground in Panchkula on Sunday.
At the event earlier, he had visited stalls set up by women self-help groups (SHGs), artisans and craftsmen from various states. Praising their skills, the chief minister said the production of swadeshi (indigenous) goods strengthens Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and furthers the ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative.
The chief minister encouraged the women entrepreneurs to make/produce items/stuff which will be a tough competition to the foreign goods in terms of quality.
Marking the occasion, CM Saini launched the Swaapan Digital Gram Bazar Portal and the Sanjha Bazaar Sales Portal of the Haryana State Rural Livelihood Mission. The portal will act as an integrated e-commerce platform for global display and sale of products manufactured by SHGs in the state. This will further enable us to register products, receive orders, monitor sales and reach customers at the state and national levels.
The Sanjha Bazaar portal will offer SHGs continuous market access, transparency in stall allocation, real-time sales tracking and product performance data. Not only this, but it will also integrate operational activities of bus stand shops, village shops, canteens, Saras Mela stalls and mall kiosks.
Saini further lauded the strong participation of women in the event, noting that this has emerged as a significant platform for their empowerment. SHGs, he said, have played a key role in advancing women’s economic independence across the country.
The chief minister said that to promote such (local/artisans) industries, the state government established the Haryana State Rural Livelihood Mission, which is helping rural poor families increase their income and integrate into the mainstream of society.
Saini said 5.98 lakh families have been linked with 60,554 SHGs under the state’s livelihood mission. These groups have received various financial assistance totalling Rs 547.89 crore through soft loans, revolving funds and community investment funds.
Women are also being trained under the Drone Didi scheme to operate drones in agriculture and other sectors, he said. Drones have already been distributed to 100 women, he added.
Saini said women are the backbone of society and have contributed equally to the state’s development.
"This is why Haryana today is recognised as one of the most progressive states in the country. To further empower women and promote self-reliance, the management of 151 Vita (dairy cooperative) sales centers in the state has been entrusted entirely to women," he said.
Women and Child Development Minister Shruti Choudhry, former Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta and artisans and SHG members from various states were present at the event.
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