Saras Food Festival 2025 held in Delhi on December 7, 2025

Stories of Flavours, Resilience, and the Rise of Lakhpati Didis

Festival Highlights
- Venue: Sunder Nursery, New Delhi
- Date: December 7, 2025
- Organiser: Ministry of Rural Development under DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission)
- Participants: Nearly 300 “Lakhpati Didis” and SHG (Self-Help Group) entrepreneurs from 25 states.
- Offerings: Over 500 regional dishes and dozens of handcrafted products.

Culinary Diversity
Visitors experienced a living map of India through food:
- Dal Baati Churma (Rajasthan)
- Malabar Biryani (Kerala)
- Himachali Siddu (Himachal Pradesh)
- Tandoor Tea (Delhi)
Each dish carried the story of women entrepreneurs who transformed traditional recipes into sustainable businesses.

Handicrafts & Products
- Phulkari Fabrics (Punjab): Led by Vandana Bharadwaj, now heading 500 SHGs across 25 villages.
- Ikkat Cotton (Odisha): Maa SHG achieved ₹5 lakh sales at Saras Melas.
- Makhana Products (Bihar): Maya Devi’s enterprise grew from weekly savings of ₹10 to national-level sales.
- Gujarati Handlooms: Daksha Mehta expanded into e-commerce, selling via Amazon.

Empowerment & Technology
- Digital Payments: QR codes and UPI widely used, minimal cash transactions.
- BHASHINI App: Enabled real-time voice translation, breaking language barriers between sellers and buyers.
- Capacity Building: Workshops on packaging, design, communication, and marketing.

Social Impact
- Economic Transformation: Women earning ₹50,000+ per month, with SHGs collectively generating lakhs in sales.
- Government Support: Sewing machines, working capital, and institutional credit provided.
- Global Reach: Phulkari fabrics procured by government departments for dignitaries and exports.
- Scale: DAY-NRLM has mobilized 10.20 crore households into SHGs; over 2 crore “Lakhpati Didis” already empowered, with a target of 2.5 crore in FY 2024–25.

Key Takeaway
The Saras Food Festival 2025 was more than a food fair—it was a celebration of women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship, and cultural heritage. It showcased how SHGs across India are turning local skills into national and global opportunities.