Pariksha SaathiNational SARAS Mela held outside Delhi-NCR for the first time: Vijayawada edition runs 13-31 October 2026
The National SARAS Mela, organised under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), is being held at Punnami Ghat, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, from 13 to 31 October 2026 - the first National SARAS Mela organised outside the Delhi-NCR region. Around 1,500 women Self-Help Group entrepreneurs and Lakhpati Didis from 34 States and UTs are showing their products at more than 650 stalls. The first National SARAS Mela was held in Delhi in 1999 with around 65 beneficiaries; 117 National SARAS Melas have been held so far, with annual sales exceeding ₹200 crore. A Lakhpati Didi is an SHG member whose household earns at least ₹1 lakh a year on a sustainable basis; in February 2026 the target was raised to six crore Lakhpati Didis.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
DAY-NRLM, the Ministry of Rural Development's poverty alleviation programme, was launched in June 2011 and is implemented across the country except Delhi and Chandigarh. It organises rural poor households into Self Help Groups (SHGs) and keeps supporting them until their incomes rise appreciably. By July 2025 it had reached 7,145 blocks in 745 districts and had brought 10.05 crore rural poor women households into 90.90 lakh SHGs.
Reference: PIB, Ministry of Rural Development, 'Self-Help Groups under NRLM', 22 July 2025
Check yourself: in which month and year was DAY-NRLM launched, and which two places does it not cover?
June 2011; Delhi and Chandigarh.
Revision task: from this release, note the Mela's venue and dates, the numbers of entrepreneurs, States and stalls, the first Mela's year, and the Lakhpati Didi income threshold and target; from the note, DAY-NRLM's launch and reach.
Test yourself
Where is the National SARAS Mela of October 2026, the first organised outside the Delhi-NCR region, being held?
Show the answer
Answer: Vijayawada
The National SARAS Mela is being held at Punnami Ghat, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, from 13 to 31 October 2026 - the first National SARAS Mela organised outside the Delhi-NCR region.
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