Shivraj Singh Chouhan shares President Murmu's words at National Saras Mela
Synopsis
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan shared President Draupadi Murmu's address at the National Saras Mela in Vijayawada, where the President praised rural SHG women for moving beyond self-reliance to become pillars of support for their communities.
Key Takeaways
President Draupadi Murmu visited stalls of women SHG members at the National Saras Mela in Vijayawada before addressing the gathering.
The President observed that rural women have moved from depending on others for small needs to becoming economic supporters in their own right.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan amplified her remarks on X on October 15, 2026 .
The National Saras Mela is a government-backed exhibition platform for products made by women under DAY-NRLM Self Help Groups.
DAY-NRLM , launched in 2011 , has systematically expanded SHG networks linking rural women to savings, credit, and micro-enterprise opportunities.
President Murmu is India's first Head of State from a tribal community, making her presence at grassroots women's empowerment events especially symbolic.
From stall-holder to breadwinner — that is the transformation Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan spotlighted on Thursday, October 15, 2026, when he shared a powerful observation made by President Draupadi Murmu at the National Saras Mela in Vijayawada, quoting her words on the journey of rural women from dependence to self-reliance.
Chouhan posted the President's remarks in Hindi, quoting her directly: 'पहले महिलाएं छोटी-छोटी चीजों के लिए दूसरों पर निर्भर रहती थीं, लेकिन आज वे केवल आत्मनिर्भर ही नहीं, बल्कि दूसरों का सहारा बनने वाली भी बन गई हैं।' — 'Earlier, women depended on others even for small things, but today they are not merely self-reliant — they have become a support for others.'
President Murmu, who visited the exhibition stalls of 'deedis' (SHG women members) before the formal proceedings, noted their unmistakable enthusiasm and the smiles on their faces as evidence of genuine transformation.
What the National Saras Mela in Vijayawada represents
The National Saras Mela is a marquee exhibition platform for products crafted and sold by women belonging to Self Help Groups (SHGs) under rural livelihood missions. Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, is the host city for the current edition — one of the largest such gatherings of grassroots women entrepreneurs in the country.
The mela traces its lineage to the early 2000s, when successive central governments began using periodic Saras exhibitions as marketing and visibility outlets for SHG-made goods. The scale has grown substantially since the launch of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) in 2011, which systematically expanded SHG coverage across states, linking rural women to savings, credit, and micro-enterprise networks.
President Murmu's presence and its significance
President Draupadi Murmu — who took office in July 2022 as the first woman from a tribal community to serve as India's Head of State — brings particular resonance to events celebrating women's economic empowerment at the grassroots. Her walking through individual stalls before addressing the gathering turned a symbolic visit into a direct, personal acknowledgement of each seller's work.
Senior leadership presence at Saras Melas is a consistent feature of these events, signalling political priority for women's economic participation. But a sitting President touring the stalls — and her remarks being amplified by a Union Cabinet Minister — elevates the moment beyond routine ceremony.
For the millions of rural women enrolled in SHGs across India, the mela is both a commercial opportunity and a public validation. The shift from 'dependent' to 'supporter of others' that President Murmu described is precisely the outcome DAY-NRLM was designed to engineer — and events like this are how the mission measures its own human dividend.
Point of View
And having a sitting President deliver the endorsement — rather than a party functionary — adds institutional weight that goes beyond a campaign talking point. President Murmu's tribal identity and personal biography give her words on economic self-reliance an authenticity that resonates differently than routine ministerial praise. Chouhan's decision to broadcast her exact quote, rather than paraphrase, suggests a calculated communications choice: let the testimonial speak, and let its source do the framing. The post fits a broader pattern of the Union government using marquee rural events to project continuity between welfare policy and lived outcome, ahead of any forthcoming budget cycles that may revisit NRLM allocations.
NationPress
15 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the National Saras Mela?
The National Saras Mela is a government-organised national exhibition where women belonging to Self Help Groups under rural livelihood missions display and sell products they have made, serving as a marketing platform for grassroots women entrepreneurs.
Why is the National Saras Mela being held in Vijayawada?
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, has been selected as the host city for the current edition of the National Saras Mela. The exact dates and scale of this edition have not been officially confirmed in public records available at the time of writing.
What did President Draupadi Murmu say at the Saras Mela?
President Murmu said that rural women, who once depended on others for even small things, have today become not only self-reliant but also a support for others — a remark she made after personally visiting the stalls of SHG women members at the mela.
What is DAY-NRLM and how does it relate to SHGs?
The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) was launched in 2011 to scale up women's Self Help Groups across India, connecting rural women to savings, credit, and micro-enterprise opportunities to promote economic independence.
Who is President Draupadi Murmu?
Draupadi Murmu became President of India in July 2022 and is the first woman from a tribal community to hold the office, making her presence at events celebrating tribal and rural women's empowerment particularly significant.
