In efforts to help artisans, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started providing space for self help groups at various airports to sell their locally-developed products. Self Help Groups (SHGs) are already showcasing their products at 12 airports, including at Agartala, Kushinagar, Udaipur and Madurai, under the AVSAR (Airport as Venue for Skilled Artisans of the Region) initiative.
Airports at Varanasi, Calicut, Kolkata, Coimbatore and Raipur, among others, in coordination with the respective state governments are in the process of allotting space to local SHGs, according to AAI.
Other airports that plan to have SHG outlets are Vizag, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Silchar, Dibrugarh and Jorhat.
“Showcasing the unique identity and culture of the various regions and states, the objective of AVSAR initiative is to not only provide visibility/platform to SHGs at airports but also introduce the heritage and ethos of the place to air travellers,” AAI Chairman Sanjeev Kumar said in a statement to PTI.
He also said AAI is committed to contributing to the prime minister’s vision of creating an atmosphere for strengthening SHGs and promoting local artisans.
Outlets of various SHGs are already open at 12 airports — Agartala, Dehradun, Kushinagar, Udaipur, Amritsar, Belagavi, Chennai, Ranchi, Indore, Surat, Madurai and Bhopal.
In the given space — an area of 100-200 square feet — at each airport, SHGs will display the products made by rural women and artisans. The space would be allotted to SHGs by turns wherein each group will get to display their products for 15 days.
AVSAR has been started to help build strong grassroot institutions empowering poor rural women and to provide promising market opportunities and right promotional avenues, AAI said.”
