Airports Providing Platform To Self-Help Groups For Promotion Of Local Artisans And Products

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to nurture the talent of women, artisans and craftsmen, and provide them with the right opportunities, Airport Authority of India (AAI) has taken an initiative to allocate space to self help groups (SHGs) at its airports for selling/showcasing the self-made products of their region.

Under ‘AVSAR’ (Airport as Venue for Skilled Artisans of the Region), an initiative of AAI, an opportunity has been provided to the indigent to build their households into self-reliant and independent units.

Under the scheme, an area of 100-200 square feet has been earmarked at each AAI-operated airport. The space is being allotted to the self-help groups for 15 days.

Few outlets have already been commissioned at Chennai, Agartala, Dehradun, Kushinagar, Udaipur and Amritsar airports wherein SHGs operated by local women, are showcasing and marketing their homemade local products like puffed rice, packaged papad, pickles, bamboo-made bag/bottle/lamp sets, local artefacts, traditional craft, natural dyes, embroidery and indigenous weaves with contemporary design to the air travellers.

More AAI airports are in the process of allotting space in coordination with state governments to such SHGs, which includes Ranchi, Kolkata, Varanasi, Indore, Bhopal, Vadodara, Ranchi, Belagavi, Madurai, Coimbatore, Calicut, Surat, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Silchar, Dibrugarh and Jorhat.

Self-help groups are India’s most powerful channels for empowering small and rural communities to move from subsistence to sustainability. The government is constantly creating an atmosphere to strengthen the SHGs.

Many such groups are excellent producers, creators of local arts, craft, useful and quality products with demand from the consumers and they need opportunity and space to showcase their products.

The initiative to strengthen SHGs by allotting space at AAI airports will provide huge visibility to these small groups and prepare them to promote/market their products to the wider spectrum, reaching out to the larger population.

Applications from self-help groups are received on AAI portal (airport wise) for allotment at airports in that particular state where the SHGs are located.