Vijayawada to host National Saras Mela as part of Dasara festivities

President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the National Saras Mela on Thursday at Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada as part of the Dasara festivities. The mela has moved out of the National Capital Region for the first time since its inception in 1999 and will be hosted in Vijayawada.

Explaining the reason behind the move, the Director of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development, Molishree said, “Vijayawada lights up during Dasara with a huge devotee turnout, and the exhibition needs a lot of footfalls so that a maximum number of Self Help Group women benefit.”

The Andhra Pradesh government has been very forthcoming in hosting the mela in Vijayawada, she added.

Over 600 stalls have been set up, which will display handloom sarees, stoles, scarves, and other apparel and handicrafts.