The national food and cultural expo, 'Saras Mela 2017' organised by Kudumbashree Mission, offering the best of traditional food and artistry, concluded carving out a new era in the history by drawing huge sales and massive crowds. A total sale of Rs. 6,54,29,650 was recorded from the stalls and food courts of the 10 day long mela conducted at Safari Maidan, Edappal, Malappuram from 25 August to 3 September 2017.

Kerala came first with sales of Rs. 1.4 crore. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar made sales of Rs. 55 Lakhs and Rs. 48 Lakhs respectively. Himachal Pradesh's stall was selected as the 'Best Stall at the mela.

Regarding the sales at the 'India Food Court', total sales recorded for Rs. 35,01,225 where Rs. 4,49,036 was put aside as 20% commission from daily sales of 7 Kerala stalls. With consideration to the overall performance of partner state Food stalls, there was a joint decision from the part of Malapuram District Mission team and NRO Team to recognise the efforts of the entrepreneurs from Tripura and award them as the best performing stall among the partner states.

Eventhough Lakshadweep, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Bihar, were the first time participants in such a big event, they made a noteworthy participation at the mela.

Around 240 stalls were opened and Micro entrepreneurs from 25 states across the country joined the programme. From the very beginning, the mela was a huge success by the active participation of the people. 16 food stalls opened at 'The India Gate' food court offered a chance to taste wide range of cuisines from different parts of the country. 7 stalls of 'Cafe Kudumbashree' was also set up at the venue.The cultural programmes arranged at the mela was indeed a visual treat . Artists and celebrities also took part in the programme.

Saras Mela attracted masses and added more colours to the festive days of Kerala. Saras Mela 2017 was kickstarted when Shri.P. Shriramakrishnan, Speaker, Kerala Legislative Assembly officially inaugurated the programme.

It is for the second time that Kudumbashree is conducting Saras Mela. Last year, Saras Mela was conducted at Ashramam Ground,Kollam which made a sale of Rs.4.6 Crore.

The Saras mela 2017 was wholeheartedly received by the neighbouring districts as well which resulted in the grand success of the programme. The Mela was indeed a celebration of food, art and culture in this festive season.

District Mission of Ernakulam achieved a hat trick in organising onam celebrations in tribal colonies. They set a unique model by conducting Onam Celebrations at yet another tribal village. Ernakulam District Mission organised onam celebrations at Thera tribal village in Kuttampuzha Panchayath, Kothamangalam on 7 September 2017. Mrs Tani Thomas, District Mission Co-ordinator, Ernakulam District Mission, Vice president of Grama Panchayath, CDS Chairpersons and other officials joined the celebrations.

'Onakkodi' and 'Onaputhappu' were distributed among the 80 people from 25 adivasi families. 'Onasadya' prepared in the leadership of the animators was served and the tribals and officials had a tasty feast together. Instead of 'Thiruvathira',the tribals presented Kummiyadi, their tradtional art form during the celebrations. Other traditional games were also presented along with.

All Officials from Ernakulam District Mission joined the programme. Kudumbashree Members took awareness classes for the tribal people. During the last year and the year before, Ernakulam District Mission conducted onam celebrations at Uriyappetti Tribal Colony and Kunchippara Tribal Colony respectively. The onam celebrations organised at Thera tribal village was indeed a noteworthy gesture from the side of Ernakulam District Mission.

Kudumbashree Onam Stalls hit the markets by making a record sale worth Rs 11 crore in 4 days. 1577 Onam Stalls were opened by Kudumbashree from 30 August 2017- 2 September 2017. Vegetables cultivated by the members of Kudumbashree were directly sold to the consumers. Farm fresh , pesticide free vegetables were dispensed through Kudumbashree Onam stalls. The Onam Stalls were conducted in continuation with the Pre Onam Markets conducted by Kudumbashree at block level. A total sale of Rs 3.05 crore was recorded at the Pre Onam Markets.Therefore, Kudumbashree sold 3269 ton of vegetables worth Rs 14 crore altogether through 3638 stalls.Undoubtedly we could say that Kudumbashree's 'safe to eat' locally produced vegetables flavoured the onam feast of Kerala.

Kerala got ready for onam with Kudumbashree Pre Onam Markets. Kudumbashree created village level Pre Onam vegetable markets to provide good quality, farm fresh, pesticide free vegetables to the consumer, thereby helping the farmers to receive remunerative prices for their products. A Total Sale of Rs 3.05 crore was recorded at the Pre Onam Markets. 2061 Markets were conducted from 8 - 29 August 2017 at a rate of 3 Pre Onam markets per week were conducted in block level.

Ladys Finger, Cowpea, Brinjal, Bittergourd, ridges & grounds, Tuber (Yam, Colocasia), Banana ,Tapioca , Leafy Vegetables, Rice, Pulses, Cocunut , Jackfruit and other vegetables cultivated by the members of Kudumbashree was sold directly to the consumers.

Onam markets were also conducted from 30 August 2017- 2 September 2017 which made a sale of Rs 11 crore. 3269 ton of vegetables worth Rs 14 crore were sold by Kudumbashree altogether through 3638 stalls. The Pre onam markets would continue as Post onam markets.

Kudumbashree onam stalls opened at railway stations are attracting masses of travellers. The first of its kind onam stalls are opened in Ernakulam South railway station as well as in Ernakulam north railway station. The onam stalls set up in 60 sq ft offers vegetables cultivated by the Joint Liability Groups of Kudumbashree and other groceries.Products made by Kudumbashree members are also for sale at the onam stalls. Kudumbashree onam stalls are setup also in Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur.

The onam stalls are being a boon to the commuters as well, which would help them to shop vegetables and groceries in reasonable rates at their own convenience. The onam stall started functioning on 26 August 2017 and would be working till one month from now.

'Mega Pookkalam' made by Kudumbashree Kazargode District Mission in association with Kazargode District Administration, Tourism Department, Youth Welfare Board, District Tourism Promotion Council, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Bekal Resorts Development Corporation and Uduma-Pallikara Grama Panchayaths in connection with the onam celebrations -'Onam Oruma' are attracting masses.

The Pookkalam (Floral Carpet) was set up at Bekal Beach on 31 August 2017. Five members each from 42 CDS in the district joined together, and made the pookkalam.The pookkalam was of 30 ft length and 30 ft breadth. It took about 4-5 hours to set the pookkalam.

Bekal Beach being one of the main tourist spots in the state, the mega pookkalam set up there is attracting many foreign tourists as well.

Eventhough it was planned to clear out the pookalam on 31st itself, considering the requests received from the visitors, the mega pookkalam will be retained till onam.

Payasamala and Procession was also arranged as part of the onam celebrations.

An outlet was opened by Kudumbashree District Mission for the distribution of 5 Kg cylinders at Perumbavoor Municipality on 11 August 2017. Ernakulam Kudumbashree District Mission has initiated this event with the technical support of Indian Oil Corporation.The outlet is situated in Perumbavoor Municipality-a crowded interstate labour hub. By producing a photo ID proof, anybody can purchase the LPG cylinder from the outlet by paying an amount of Rs 800/. Refilling facility is also provided at Rs 282/-. Another attractive services provided in the outlet is the buyback option –anyone who purchased the cylinder and returns after their short stay at the locality can return the same to the outlet and get back the cost of the cylinder. The facility is bliss to the migrant families who were unable to buy LPG cylinder’s owing to the lack of a permanent residential address or ration card. The working woman who often forgets to book the LPG cylinders can also buy the 5kg cylinders from here and also keep it as a reserve during the shortage of normal cylinders. The outlet is also open on Sundays which is a great attraction for the migrant labourers.

Saras Mela 2017, the national food and cultural expo organised by Kudumbashree Mission, offering the best of traditional food and artistry carved out a new era in the history by drawing huge crowds. Around two lakh people had already visited the programme. Saras Mela was kickstarted when Shri.P. Shriramakrishnan, Speaker, Kerala Legislative Assembly officially inaugurated the programme at Safari Maidan, Edappal, Malappuram on 25 August 2017.

Micro entrepreneurs from 25 states across the country had joined the programme . Around 240 stalls were opened. Saras Mela is becoming a huge success by the active participation of the people. 15 food stalls were also opened at 'The India Gate' food court offering a chance to taste wide range of cuisines from different parts of the country. 5 stalls of 'Cafe Kudumbashree' is also set up at the venue. The cultural programmes arranged daily at the mela was indeed a visual treat for those who gathered. Artists and celebrities also took part in the programme. Saras Mela is attracting more and more people and are adding more colour to the festive days of Kerala. The Mela will come to an end on 3 September 2017.

As part of the state government’s effort to draw up a sustainable housing programme for the shelter less in the state, Kudumbashree conducted a survey from 15-25 July 2017.

3174 people are identified as homeless from 93 Urban Local Bodies of 14 districts. Out of them, 2625 are gents, 564 are ladies and 6 are transgenders. Calicut is the Urban local body and Ernakulam is the district with maximum number of street dwellers. Out of the identified street dwellers 61 % are from the 17 urban local bodies -Calicut, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Sulthan Bathery, Kannur, Kollam, Thrissur, Kottayam, Palakkad, Thalassery, Vadakara, Kunnamkulam, Alappuzha, Chalakkudy, Kalpetta, Kazargode and Angamaly.

Half of the identified homeless are between the age limit of 41-60. It is understood that 2106 had been dwelling in the street for more than one year. 1465 are coolie workers, 221 people are street vendors and 679 people are beggars. Idukki district has the lowest number of urban homeless. There are only 38 street dwellers in Idukki. Pathanamthitta and Kasargode also holds comparatively lower number of Street dwellers. There are only 59 & 68 street dwellers in Pathanamthitta and Kazargode respectively.

The survey collected information about their age, marital status, income occupation, native place, health issues and problems faced by them during the late night hours. The identified homeless will then be provided with round-the-clock shelter homes equipped with essential services.

Sustainable shelter homes would be built in each urban centre across the state, according to the number of homeless identified in the survey.The shelter homes would provide adequate security, sanitation facilities and drinking water for the homeless people.

The 'Shelter for Urban Homeless' scheme is being implemented as part of the National Urban Livelihood Mission and Kudumbashree, the nodal agency of the program in the state. A team, comprising members of the National Urban Livelihood Mission, corporation, municipality, health department and the police, would conduct the survey. Inclusion cards were distributed to the people who were identified as homeless. The pilot study conducted to find the urban homeless had already identified 250 as homeless.

Dynamic and efficient management information system (MIS) has been developed to capture the Pre onam market activity. The data from the village level markets are captured and collated to generate useful reports for better monitoring and planning.

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