Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], Jan 05 (ANI): The 11-day annual Sisir Saras Mela, an initiative by the Ministry of Rural Development, kicked off on Friday.

Organised by the Odisha Rural development and Marketing Society, it is the largest platform for rural product sale in the capital city. The most popular buyer-seller festival of the Panchayati Raj and DW Department, Sisir Saras has around 300 stalls selling various handicraft, cottage, and handloom products from 23 states.

The main components of the event include handloom from Bihar, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Manipur, and handicrafts from Assam, Odisha Chhattisgarh, Haryana, and Meghalaya.

"The objective of the Mela is to provide an avenue for sale and display of products of rural producers and artisans, assisted under different poverty alleviation programmes of government. Saras has always played a key role in connecting producers/artisans with various markets thereby generating confidence among them which is accelerating the development of rural products and crafts," said VN Das, Executive Director, ORMA. (ANI)

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