To encourage the talent of women, artisans and craftsmen and provide them with the right opportunities, Airport Authority of India (AAI) is allocating space to Self Help Groups (SHGs) at various airports for selling/showcasing the self-made products of their region.
AAI has launched “AVSAR” scheme (Airport as Venue for Skilled Artisans Of The Region) to help the indigent to mobilize their households into functionally effective self-earned groups for self-reliance and self-dependence. Under this 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, turn on turn basis, for a duration of 15 days.
Few outlets have already been commissioned at Chennai, Agartala, Dehradun, Kushinagar, Udaipur and Amritsar Airport wherein SHGs operated by local women, are showcasing and marketing their homemade local products.
More Airports are in the process of allotting space in coordination with State Governments to such Self-Help Groups which includes Ranchi, Kolkata, Varanasi, Indore, Bhopal, Vadodara, Ranchi, Belagavi, Madurai, Coimbatore, Calicut, Surat, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Silchar, Dibrugarh and Jorhat.
AAI’s initiative 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.
