THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Ministry of Rural Development is joining hands with the State Rural Development Department and the Thiruvananthapuram District Panchayat to organise ‘SARAS Mela’ for the second time in the city.Featuring close to 300 participants from 14 states, including Kerala, the event will be held from August 28 to September 8 at the Manjalikkulam Ground, Rural Development Minister K C Joseph said here on Thursday. The National SARAS Mela is organised frequently in New Delhi and other cities to market rural products manufactured under the Swarna Jayanthi Grama Swarozgar Yojana. The 250 stalls at the Thiruvananthapuram fest will have on sale and display handicrafts, handloom products, embroidery works, jewellery, leather products, spices and a wide variety of ethnic food products. SARAS is short for ‘Sales of Articles of Rural Artisans.’ ‘’Fourteen states have confirmed their participation,’’ the Minister said. Predictably, Kerala, the host state, leads in the number of participants and stalls - 140 and 70 respectively. Kerala is followed by Andhra Pradesh (25), Karnataka (21) and Orissa (20). Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will formally inaugurate the exhibition and sale of rural and ethnic products at 10.30 am at the Manjalikkulam Ground on Monday. Speaker G Karthikeyan, Transport Minister V S Sivakumar, Panchayat Minister M K Muneer, MPs and MLAs and the heads of the local bodies will attend the inauguration. The Speaker will inaugurate the valedictory ceremony on September 7. The exhibition will be open from 9.30 am to 9 pm daily. Entry is free.
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