The South Central Railway (SCR) on Tuesday announced that 72 stations under its jurisdiction now have 71 “one station one product” outlets.
The scheme was introduced by the Ministry of Railways with a mission to promote local/indigenous products by providing a market and creating additional income opportunities for the marginalised sections of society. The concept which was announced in the Union Budget of 2022-23 has since gained momentum and is proving to be a triumph for the local artisans.
The concept was initially introduced at six railway stations for a duration of one month. Eventually, with the good response received for the pilot project, the outlets have since been spread over 70 railway stations in the zone. At present, 72 railway stations across SCR are covered with 77 outlets giving high visibility to local products from four states including, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
In Telangana, 26 railway stations, including Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Kacheguda, Warangal, Nizamabad and Gadwal are covered with 29 stalls, thereby giving a major boost to livelihood and welfare of local artisans. Some of the products include handlooms by local weavers such as traditional Narayanpet, Gadwal and Pochampalli sarees; millet-based food products; TSCO handlooms, Bhadrachalam bamboo crafts; temple deity idols; forest collections, handicrafts; Nirmal toys and local delicacies.
The most famous variety of handloom sarees in Telangana State are Gadwal Handlooms Sarees and Narayanapet silk sarees. Gadwal sari is a handcrafted woven sari style in Jogulamba Gadwal district of Telangana. The weave is so light that the saree can be packed in a matchbox.
Recently, the sale of millet based products is being encouraged by the Railways to create domestic and global demand and to provide nutritional food to the people. In this direction, seven Railways stations are covered with OSOP stalls on millet-based products.
Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager said, “The ‘scheme gives a great opportunity to local artisans to showcase their products. ” He said that railway stations are well suited to promote indigenous products which are famous in the surrounding places among the passengers.
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