# National SARAS Mela in Vijayawada > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/national-saras-mela-in-vijayawada > Updated: 2026-10-18T16:51:17.000Z. Sources: 7. Developments: 2. The National SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2026 opened in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, marking the first time the national event has been held outside the Delhi-NCR region. Organized by the Ministry of Rural Development and the Andhra Pradesh Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty, the fair features approximately 1,000 women entrepreneurs and artisans from 34 states and Union Territories. The event includes the launch of the ‘Lakhpati Didi Compendium’ and the ‘SARAS Shakti’ mobile application to support the goal of creating six crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’—women from self-help groups with annual incomes of at least one lakh rupees. As the event progressed, it generated approximately 3.5 crore in revenue. Union Minister of State for Rural Development Pemmasani Chandrasekhar inspected the site to address infrastructure needs such as sanitation and Wi-Fi connectivity for digital payments. The mela also drew international attention, with Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong and a high-level delegation visiting to observe the economic empowerment of rural women through the self-help group movement. ## Timeline ### 2026-10-18: National SARAS Mela in Vijayawada draws crowds and high-profile visitors The National SARAS Mela in Vijayawada has generated 3.5 crore in business, drawing large crowds and a visit from Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong to support rural women entrepreneurs. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/national-saras-mela-in-vijayawada-draws-crowds-and-high-profile-visitors ### 2026-10-14: President Murmu inaugurates National SARAS Mela in Vijayawada President Droupadi Murmu inaugurates the National SARAS Mela 2026 in Vijayawada, featuring 1,000 women entrepreneurs from across India to promote rural livelihoods and women-led enterprises. 7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/president-droupadi-murmu-to-inaugurate-national-saras-mela-2026-in-vijayawada --- Cite as: National SARAS Mela in Vijayawada. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/national-saras-mela-in-vijayawada