Haryana’s first ‘Sanjha Bazar’ for women self-help groups has no takers

Haryana’s first ‘Sanjha Bazar’, launched with the aim of empowering women and providing a dedicated platform to women members of self-help groups (SHGs) to showcase and sell their products, has been lying unutilised for the past two months as there are no takers for it.

Advertisement

The National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) are jointly looking after the initiative and a portal has been opened where the women of SHGs can apply to take these shops. However, as per sources, women are not coming forward for the past two months.

Shop allotment period 'too short'

Several members have demanded that shops be allotted for at least a month not just one week to effectively showcase and sell their products at the bazar

Also, many members have complained of financial burden due travel and food expenses incurred to participate in the bazar, forcing them to abandon shops

The bazar was inaugurated on February 24, 2024, by the then Chief Minister and current Union Power Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar. The land belongs to Zila Parishad, while the Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC) developed the market by installing 10 portable cabins, renting each at Rs 100 per day.

The NRLM and NULM identified women from different SHGs across the district with the help of cluster level federations to set up shops in these cabins. Each woman was allotted a cabin for one week to sell a variety of products including dairy items, terracotta crafts, clothes, handmade goods, spices, woollen items, herbal products, and more.

After the completion of one week, the next woman member would take over the cabin to sell her own products, ensuring rotation and equal opportunity for all members.

Though it had been running smoothly for the past one year, with all ten booths fully occupied, the arrangement has been facing challenges lately. The sources claimed that many women members of the SHGs were unhappy with the one-week allotment period. They demanded shops be allotted for at least a month to effectively showcase and sell their products. Additionally, many members came from distant rural areas and had to bear their own travel and food expenses to participate. This added financial burden has forced several women to abandon their stalls.

Authorities are now exploring options to revive the market by allocating 50 percent of the shops to women from urban SHGs and the remaining 50 percent to women from rural SHGs. This new plan aims to ensure better accessibility and timely opening of shops, helping women sell their products more efficiently.

“To run the market smoothly, we have chalked out a plan with the help of KMC. We have allotted five shops to KMC to allot them to women from urban SHGs, so the bazar is effectively utilised. We are also encouraging women to participate in this initiative which aims to empower them,” said Gaurav Kumar, CEO, Zila Parishad, Karnal.

He maintained that they are committed to addressing the past issues and making the Sanjha Bazar more suitable.