PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/ Uttarkashi
Under the directions of the Uttarkashi district magistrate, Prashant Arya, the chief development officer, S L Semwal visited the marketing centre in the Vikas Bhawan premises to see how the marketing of the local products could be further boosted. Notably, this centre operates under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) with the objective of promoting local vegetables and food products while empowering women to become financially independent under the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ initiative.
During the inspection, the CDO reviewed livelihood activities being carried out at the centre and emphasized that the local women and farmers must be provided with fresh income opportunities through the local haats. Products such as cucumbers, brinjals, bottle gourds, ridge gourds, cauliflowers and mushrooms are being sold through the self- help groups (SHGs), enabling women and cultivators to increase their earnings.
Semwal stated that these haats would not only encourage consumption of healthy, organic and nutritious vegetables but would make the rural women economically empowered and self-reliant.
The weekly haats would operate regularly from Monday to Saturday and would remain closed only on Sundays and public holidays, he said.
