In an effort to promote and help Indian craftsmen, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started offering space for self-help groups at various airports to sell their locally grown products.
Under the AVSAR (Airport as Location for Skilled Artisans of the Region) initiative, Self Help Groups (SHGs) have come forward to showcase their products at 12 airports including Agartala, Kushinagar, Udaipur and Madurai.
according to this AAI, Varanasi, Calicut, Kolkata, Coimbatore and Raipur airports, among others, are in the process of allotting space to local SHGs, in coordination with the respective State Governments. Vizag, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Silchar, Dibrugarh and Jorhat are the other airports planning to open SHG outlets.
AAI President Sanjeev Kumar said in a statement to the news agency: PTI, “Displaying the distinct identity and culture of different regions and states, the AVSAR initiative aims to not only provide visibility/platform to SHGs at airports, but also acquaint air travelers with the heritage and ethos of that place.”
Additionally, Kumar has stated that AAI is committed to contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of strengthening SHGs and creating an environment to promote local artisans.
Interestingly, outlets of various SHGs are already open at 12 airportsThese include Agartala, Dehradun, Kushinagar, Udaipur, Amritsar, Belagavi, Chennai, Ranchi, Indore, Surat, Madurai and Bhopal.
In a given space, an area of 100-200 square feet at each airport, the SHGs will display products made by rural women and artisans. The SHGs will be allotted space in turn in which each group will get to display their products for 15 days.
AAI said that AVSAR has been launched to help build strong grassroots institutions empowering poor rural women and provide promising market opportunities and right promotional opportunities.
(with inputs from agencies)