IITF SARAS to exhibit artifacts from rural India from Nov 14 to 27

New Delhi, Nov 10 (UNI) The IITF-SARAS-2006 would be organised here from November 14 to provide an opportunity to rural artisan to exhibit and sell their products in bulk quantity.

The Ministry of Rural Development organises the Fair every year along with Regional SARAS Fairs in different zones of the country to assist the SGSY rural artisans and beneficiaries an opportunity to get some incremental income and the much needed exposure to up-market linkages.

In IITF- SARAS-2006, to be held from November 14 to 27, more than 700 participants from all the states have come to take part. The event will give them a chance to be in the capital and also part of an international event.

They will be able to sell their products, have a feeling of the preferences and choices of the urban buyers, evaluate their products against expectations of the buyers and learn to make necessary changes in the quality, design, packaging and other aspects of their products.

Three workshops are also proposed to be organised during the IITF-SARAS-2006, two on Leather Sector and one on Packaging. The Workshops are meant to hone the traditional skills and help rural craftsmen to add value to the products with the help of technology to compete with the urban products.

Regional SARAS Fairs are organized in three Metros-- Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai-- at a cost of Rs 25 lakh each and in other major cities at a cost of Rs 20 lakh each. During 2005-06, against an expenditure of Rs 4.35 crore, products worth Rs 21.25 crore were sold and about 9,000 rural Swarozgaries have been benefited through these Fairs.

In the calendar year of 2003-04, seven regional SARAS Fairs were organised at Delhi, Hyderabad, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati and Jaipur. In the year 2004-05, the Ministry organised twenty one Regional SARAS Fairs and during the current year the Ministry proposes to organize twenty-two Regional SARAS Fairs, out of which ten Regional Fairs have already been organised.

UNI AJ SHB MIR RAI1845