AAI Airports providing platform to Self-Help Groups for promotion of local artisans & products

April 8: In the line with the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to encourage the talent of women, artisans and craftsmen and provide them with the right opportunities, Airport Authority of India (AAI) has taken an initiative to allocate space to Self Help Groups (SHGs) at its airports for selling/showcasing the self-made products of their region.

Under “AVSAR” (Airport as Venue for Skilled Artisans Of The Region), which is an initiative of AAI, an opportunity to help the indigent to mobilize their households into functionally effective self-earned groups for self-reliance and self-dependence, has been provided. 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 & Amritsar Airport wherein SHGs operated by local women, are showcasing and marketing their homemade local products like Puffed Rice, Packaged Papad, Pickles, Bamboo based Ladies Bag/Bottle/Lamp Sets, local artefacts, traditional craft, natural dyes, embroidery and indigenous weaves with contemporary design to the air travellers.

More AAI 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.

Self-help Groups are India’s most powerful channels for empowering small and rural communities to move from subsistence to sustainability. Government is constantly creating an atmosphere to strengthen the SHGs. Many such groups are excellent producers, creators of local arts, craft, useful and quality products with demand from the consumers and they need opportunity and space to showcase their products. The initiative to strengthen SHGs by allotting space at AAI Airports 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.

Applications from self-help groups are received on AAI portal (Airport Wise) for allotment at airport in that particular state where the SHG’s are located. The interested SHG’s need to apply through AAI portal – https://www.aai.aero/en/node/add/shg-user-detail.