Tehri/Dehradun, 14 Oct: On the ninth day of the ongoing Saras Fair, State Rural Development Minister Ganesh Joshi participated as the Chief Guest. He inaugurated the programme by lighting the ceremonial lamp.
The Minister visited various stalls, interacted with exhibitors, inquired about their products and sales, and extended best wishes to all participants. On this occasion, cheques were distributed to 10 entrepreneurs and investors who committed investments of over Rs 1.5 lakh each. Additionally, 10 high-performing self-help groups were felicitated with certificates of appreciation.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Ganesh Joshi said that Uttarakhand possesses one of the richest cultural heritages, which serves as a guiding force for society. He shared that more than 4.69 lakh women in the state are currently sustaining their livelihoods through self-help groups, and the high quality of their products has led to increased demand both nationwide and internationally. “When women prosper, families and society become stronger,” he said.
He highlighted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, three crore women across the country have become ‘Lakhpati Didis’. In Uttarakhand alone, out of the target of two lakh, 1.63 lakh women have already achieved this milestone, bringing significant transformation in their lives.
The Minister further said that under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, the nation has seen tremendous progress in the last 11 years — over 12 crore toilets have been constructed, homes have been provided to more than 10 crore beneficiaries, and India now exports food grains to over 80 countries. “With continued progress, India will undoubtedly emerge as a developed nation by 2047,” he asserted.
Commending the district administration for the innovative ‘Gullak’ initiative during the Saras Fair, he said that such programmes play a vital role in connecting small and medium entrepreneurs with investors, offering mentorship, enhancing production capacity, improving market access, and ensuring financial strengthening and self-reliance. He congratulated the entire district administration team for the successful organisation of the fair.
Earlier, the District Magistrate informed that the Saras Fair, which commenced on 6 October, will conclude on 15 October, and has already achieved sales exceeding Rs 1.5 crore.
As part of the fair, ‘Gullak 2’ was organised to facilitate partnerships between self-help groups and private businesses. Under this initiative, an investor pitch session was conducted with the participation of 45 vendors and 22 investors associated with the Chief Minister Udhyamshala Scheme, Uttarakhand State Rural Livelihood Mission, and REAP projects under the Rural Development Department. Investors collectively expressed intent to invest Rs 36.50 lakh in the future.
Present on the occasion were BJP District President Uday Rawat, Tehri District Magistrate Nitika Khandelwal, Muni ki Reti Municipal Council Chairperson Neelam Sajwan, Tapovan Nagar Panchayat Chairperson Vinita Bisht, Block Pramukh Rajesh Nautiyal (Jakhnidhar), Block Pramukh Keertinagar, Block Pramukh Chamba Suman Sajwan, Block Pramukh Pratapnagar Manisha Panwar, CDO Varuna Agarwal, PD DRDA PS Chauhan, DDO Mohd Aslam, BDO Narendra Nagar Shruti Vats, and other dignitaries.
