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Saras Fair, the celebration of entrepreneurship has been kick started at Kunnamkulam of Thrissur district of Kerala, when hundreds of CDS Chairpersons of the districts lit the lamps to mark the inauguration of the event on 28 March 2019. The gathering of entrepreneurs from the fields of art, craft, food and clothing across India marked their presence as the 11 days exhibition cum sale began at Kunnamkulam. Followed by, the entrepreneurs across the India were wholeheartedly welcomed by a ceremonial procession through the town starting from town hall, Kunnamkulam to Cheruvathoor ground. The procession was accompanied by hundreds of performers with live performance of traditional art forms like daff mutt, kuthirakali, folk song, mohiniyaattom, theyyam, shingarimelam, thiruvathira, karakaattam etc.

The fifth edition of the Saras Fair organised by State Kudumbashree Mission was began with a theme feast- ‘India on plate’.  The food items prepared by the representatives of 29 states and 7 union territories were arranged in a single table. All the people gathered were amused by the varieties of cuisine on a single plate like Puran Boli of Maharashtra, Khilanchi of Lakshadweep, Buttari of Punjab, Sarli soup of Jarkhand, Dal Batti and Churma of Rajasthan, Hadi Chaaval of Haryana, Telangana special Dhum Biriyani, varieties of momos and chaumin of Sikkim, Pothrekula of Andhra Pradesh and a lot more were presented. Followed by the official inauguration and theme feast, the big stage of SARAS was opened to cultural programmes performed by Kerala Kalamandalam artists and a mega stage show.

Pink force, a bunch of women volunteers controlled and managed the crowd on the first day of Saras Fair. In addition, 22 selected women are trained and appointed as pink force. These women force would act as security guards with uniform including a cap and whistle. The main objective of the force is to control traffic and to facilitate vehicle parking space allotted at the Cheruvathoor ground. They are on force after the 10 days training conducted by Kunnakulam Muncipality. T0he pink force will be on power in the upcoming days as well. 

The Saras fair, which is being conducted by the Kudumbashree Mission in cooperation with the Ministry of Rural Development and the State government is a 11 long days stretched exhibition cum sale programme. The objective of the fair is to ensure market for rural entrepreneurs and to provide an opportunity to sell their products without any interference of any second person.  Through this fair the rural artisans, craftsmen, and beneficiaries of Self Help Groups (SHG) across India would be able to exhibit and sell their products directly with customers, thereby earning additional income as well as a significant exposure.  Saras Mela 2019 would be an incredible opportunity to get acquainted with the cultural, artistic, traditional, and rich heritage values of different states across the country. Undoubtedly, Saras Mela 2019 would add more colour to the festive days of Kerala. The mela would come to an end on 7 April 2019.

Organised by Kudumbashree Mission Saras Mela 2019, the national food and cultural expo, the largest rural exhibition in the country which would offer the best of traditional ethnic food and artistry is all set to begin at Cheruvathur Ground, Kunnamkulam, Thrissur on 28 March 2019. Thousands of entrepreneurs from different parts of the country has begun to arrive at Thrissur with various kinds of products to steal the hearts of the customers. The products includes food, clothing, handmade items, household items etc.  Around 250 colorful stalls are set up at Cheruvathur ground at Kunnamkulam.  

The Saras fair, which is being conducted by the Kudumbashree Mission in cooperation with the Ministry of Rural Development and the State government is a 11 long days stretched exhibition cum sale programme. The objective of the fair is to ensure market for rural entrepreneurs and to provide an opportunity to sell their products without any interference of any second person.  Through this fair the rural artisans, craftsmen, and beneficiaries of Self Help Groups (SHG) across India would be able to exhibit and sell their products directly with customers, thereby earning additional income as well as a significant exposure. 

Around 40 entrepreneurs from 5 states have already reached Thrissur. The entrepreneurs came all the way from Goa, Haryana, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Maharashtra to make the fair more attractive with their traditional food items. entrepreneurs from 29 states and 7 union territories across the country will be the part of the programme. Micro entrepreneurs form different states of the country are keeping on arriving at the Saras Fair 2019. The handicrafts that would showcase the heritage and culture of each states, art forms, jewelry, fabrics, utensils etc would be for sale at the Saras Mela. The ethnic food prepared by the Kudumbashree women would add more colour to the programme. 

 The India food court which would be opened at the Saras Fair would offer various cuisines from different states across the country. Thukpa, chow mein, thenthuk, fakthu, gyathuk, wonton and momos would be available at the food stall of Sikkim. Lakshadweep biriyani, lakshdweep mass, keelanchi, chattipathiri, irachipathiri,fish roll, fish cutlet, fish samosa, pookkuthappam, kadukatti, choolala shake, maasappam, thokkappam,kattippaal, lakshadweep halwa, tuna pickle etc would be at sale at Lakshadweep's food stall. Karnataka's food stall would offer rice bath, bisi bela bath, vanki bath, chaat dishes, ragi dishes, different varieties, pulav, bajjis, curries, rotis, golgappa, panipuri, masala poori, akki rotti, chicken kebab etc whereas marathi chicken biriyani, veg biriyani, pani puri, vada paav, dahee dappatta, chinna badam chutney, dahi vada, masala papad etc would be offered by Maharashtra's food stall. Goan fish moli, grilled fish, vada paav, goan pakoda, goan veg dhaali,  varieties of prawn dishes and special goan masala papad would be offered by the food stall of Goa.

Officials of Kudumbashree National Resource Organisation in cooperation with Adebha Institute of Food Research and Hospitality Management, Thrissur (AIFRHM) has conducted an awareness class for these entrepreneurs to discuss the rules and regulations, the suggestions and their needs for the smooth participation in the fair. In addition to this, 45 student beneficiaries of DDUGKY conducted a flash mob near Kunnamkulam bus stand on 26  March 2017  for the publicity and promotion of the fair.

Saras fairs help the micro entrepreneurs to sell out their products to the consumers without the interventions of the middle men and would help them to grow better business relations and thereby increase their sales. this would in turn help them in earning more income and better life style. The programme would strictly follow green protocol and would be opened from 10 AM to 10 PM. Only cloth bags and paper bags would be used during the mela. Daily cultural programmes would also arranged in connection with the programme. Entry to Saras Mela is absolutely free.

Saras Mela 2019 would be an incredible opportunity to get acquainted with the cultural, artistic, traditional, and rich heritage values of different states across the country. Undoubtedly, Saras Mela 2019 would add more colour to the festive days of Kerala. The mela would come to an end on 7 April 2019.

Kudumbashree's Mahila Mall received Best Entrepreneur Award  constituted by Kerala State Women Development Corporation. Smt. K.K Shailaja, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Government of Kerala handed over the award to Smt. Vijaya at the function held at Nishagandhi Auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram on 8 March 2019.

Mahila Mall was launched by Kudumbashree Kozhikode Corporation CDS on 24 November 2018. The Mahilla Mall, run entirely by women is a unique project in the country, which is started by ten women of Unity Group under Kudumbashree Mission in an area of over 36,000 sqft. Mahila Mall, located at Wayanad road near Mavoor Road Junction is claimed to be first of its kind venture in the country. Apart from Kudumbashree workers and groups, women societies and private entrepreneurs had hired space in the mall. 85 percent of the shops are owned by Kudumbashree groups while 15 percent are owned by private women entrepreneurs and other women collectives. Mahila Mallhas 6 floors and out of that the 4th floor is allocated for women related offices and agencies while the rooftop is an open air food court. The Mall is designed for the women and is run by the women. All the shops in the mall have been sold out. The Mahila Mall project is executed with the support of Kozhikode Kudumbashree District Mission and it will also help women entrepreneurs to showcase their output in handicraft, fashion designing travel, tourism etc.

Apart from Kudumbashree workers and groups, women societies and private entrepreneurs had hired space in the mall. The Mahila Mall provides direct employment to 250 women and indirect employment to 500 women. The mall has 79 shops including health clubs, martial arts centres, spa, skill training centres, food courts, textile shops,etc. 

 Mahila Mall  provides an opportunity to small entrepreneurs to promote their business with the concept of Micro Bazar inside the Mahila Mall, which is one of the main attractions of the Kudumbashree Mall. There are a total of 24 micro bazaars which will offer customers home-made items manufactured by Kudumbashree entrepreneurs. The timing of Mahila Mall on week days will be from 10 AM to 10 PM and on weekends, the closing time will be extended till 11 PM. 79 ventures in the mall will be directly run by Kudumbashree entrepreneurs. The mall has 2 lift and the area is under 24 hour CCTV surveillance and good parking facility also provided near to the premise. The Mahila Mall is an icon of women’s empowerment achieved by Kudumbashree Mission.

Kudumbashree receive Ramoji Film City's CSR fund for constructing 116 houses in Alappuzha. The agreement regarding the same would be signed at the function held at Camelot Convention Centre, Pathirappally, Alappuzha on 1 March 2019.  Shri. A.C Moideen, Minister for Local Self Governments, Government of Kerala inaugurated the function.Dr T.M Thomas Issac, Minister of Finance and Coir, Government of Kerala was also present at the function.

 Ramoji film city, the world’s largest integrated film city and India's only thematic holiday destination had offered Rs 7 crores for building houses for the people in the flood hit areas of Alappuzha.  It is as per the request of Shri. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister, Government of Kerala that Ramoji Film City came forward with the CSR fund for constructing the houses in Alappuzha. As per the agreement, a total of 116 houses would be built in the district. It is planned to finish the construction of houses within 6 months. Construction of each house would cost around Rs 6 lakhs. Kudumbashree had identified the beneficiaries  and forwarded the list to the CSR committee of Ramoji Film City. 

Kudumbashree women construction groups will undertake the construction works of 116 houses. The construction of the houses would be started by the first week of March itself. The project would be implemented in three phases and the construction of 35 houses would be completed in the first phase. 40 and 41 houses would be built in the second and third phase respectively. Kudumbashree Misison had formed 'Nirmashree', a labour contracting society, joining 55 Kudumbashree women construction groups which has more than 250 members. The Nirmashree Labour Contracting Society will undertake the construction of the 116 houses which is proposed to be built in the district. 

Kudumbashree Mission signed MoU with the online shopping site 'Amazon'. The MoU was signed between Shri.S. Harikishore IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree Mission and Shri. Pranav Bhaasin, Director, Seller & Experiences, Amazon in the presence of Shri. A.C Moideen, Minister for Local Self Governments, Government of Kerala at the function held at Government Guest House, Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram on 27 February 2019. A training programme was also conducted for the micro entrepreneurs regarding the packing, labelling, online marketing laws and GST.

Kudumbashree Mission  had already started displaying the products of Kudumbashree's micro enterprises in Amazon.in and had received its very first order from Himachal Pradesh. The products produced by Kudumbashree women's micro enterprises units are widely accepted among the community because of its ethnicity and purity. As the demand for Kudumbashree products started increasing day by day, Kudumbashree Mission had started finding new marketing platforms for fulfilling real customer's requirements through permanent markets, nano markets, kiosks etc. Kudumbashree Mission had also launched an online portal called www.kudumbashreebazaar.com for marketing the products. In the initial stage of selling Kudumbashree products through 'amazon.in', Kudumbashree Mission is planning to display 100 products from various micro enterprises across the state in trial basis. Kudumbashree Mission have also  started an exclusive office in Thiruvananthapuram for handling amazon order and customer care services.  Convergence with 'amazon.in' is made possible through a project called 'Amazon Saheli' which was developed for promoting India’s rural women micro entrepreneurs. Handicrafts, beauty products, handloom, toiletries, soaps, cleaning substances, ayurvedic products etc are the main categories of products displayed.

Kudumbashree- Kerala State Poverty Eradication Mission bagged three Skoch Order of Merit Awards. The three projects viz.,  convergence initiatives under PMAY (U),  Construction of PMAY (U) houses through women construction groups and  the convergence with Ayyankali Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme are the projects selected for the recognition.The Awards were distributed at a function held at  Constitution Club of India, New Delhi on 25 February 2019.

 Kudumbashree, has been the state level nodal agency for many housing projects for the past 20 years.  Kudumbashree members were given skill training in construction sector and as many PMAY (U) houses were constructed across the state by  Kudumbashree women construction groups. Ayyankali Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme (AUEGS) aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in urban areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage-employment in a financial year to a urban household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work, which also aims to provide a strong, rights-based social safety net for the people in the urban areas of Kerala by giving a fall-back employment source, when other employment alternatives are scarce or inadequate.

'Skoch Award for Housing  2019' is an initiative to recognize and encourage the best work done by government bodies and organisations in providing housing to the country. These awards were a call to state governments, urban bodies, private sector and other service providers to nominate their best work in housing sector across categories such as rural housing, low cost housing, urban housing along with construction and infrastructure among other areas. Skoch award seek to assess and recognize the work done by the best in the business in this sector which will lead to better quality of life for people and better governance in the space resulting in easier access and good quality service delivery. Skoch Order of Merit  constituted by Skoch Group, a think tank dealing with the socio-economic issues with a focus on inclusive growth since 1997. 

Kudumbashree had recently bagged 7 Skoch Awards including Skoch Award for Corporate Excellence (Bronze) or Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY) and  six Skoch Order of Merit Awards for Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY), Kudumbashree School Capacity Building programme for 43 lakh Kudumbashree NHG members, Kudumbashree  Facility Management Center, Homeshop, Kudumbashree Women Construction Groups  and Amrutham Nutrimix for qualifying amongst the Top Corporate Excellence Projects in India.