Craft mela gets off to colourful start

The Punjab Sakhi Shakti Craft Fair, organised at the heritage building Sheesh Mahal in Patiala, was inaugurated today with great fanfare with an objective to provide the people of Patiala and surrounding areas with products made by rural women’s self-help groups and artisans across the country on a single platform and to introduce them to the cultural heritage of various states.

The fair, which will run till March 2, was inaugurated by Punjab Finance, Planning, Taxation and Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who was accompanied by Mayor Kundan Gogia and Deputy Commissioner Varjit Walia.

On this occasion, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that previous governments neglected Punjab’s rich heritage, culture and rural level entrepreneurship, but the Aam Aadmi Party government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has increased the budget for such fairs from Rs 5 crore to Rs 70 crore.

The Finance Minister said that the Punjab Sakhi Shakti Mela is an important initiative to provide a strong marketing platform at the government level to rural women’s self-help groups (self-help groups) and women entrepreneurs, who produce high-quality, organic and traditional products, but face difficulties due to lack of large-scale marketing opportunities.

A large number of visitors bought and sold handicraft items on the first day at more than 150 stalls set up in the fair.