App launched for selling agri products of SHGs at Saras Mela

Kolkata: Subrata Mukherjee, state minister for Panchayats and Rural Development department minister along with state Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Wednesday launched a smartphone application to sell agricultural products online at New Town during inauguration of 16th Saras Mela.

The smartphone application styled as 'Nature Bazar' was launched to sell agricultural products produced by the Self Help Groups (SHG) and cooperatives. People can buy pulse, rice, fish, meat, vegetables, honey, ghee and other products using the application. It will help the women of SHGs and members of the cooperatives to earn more.

The application would be available for download from the website www.wbcadc.com after a week. It will be uploaded on the Google Play Store. Initially, the services will be offered in some parts of Kolkata. Within 3 months, the service will be made available in all parts of the city. All sorts of payment options such as debit card, credit card, UPI and cash on delivery will be available.

According to Mukherjee, the state government ensured that women become self-sufficient by creating markets for the SHGs and cooperatives. He also added that Saras was the only nationally-acclaimed 'mela.'

Usually Saras mela takes place in Salt Lake and Central Park mela ground. But this year due to some unavoidable circumstances, the mela has been shifted to New Town mela ground.

This year, around 243 stalls have been set up. Apart from SHGs and cooperatives from Bengal, artisans and sellers from 12 more states are participating in the fair.