SARAS Aajeevika Mela calendar for FY 2026-27 finalised, three NCR events between October and February

The Ministry of Rural Development on 24 April 2026 finalised the national-level calendar of SARAS Aajeevika Melas for FY 2026-27, scheduling three flagship events in the National Capital Region to provide direct market linkages to rural artisans and Self-Help Group (SHG) members.

The three events are: - SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2026 — Leisure Valley Park, Gurugram, 22 October to 6 November 2026 (17 days). - SARAS Food Festival 2026 — Sunder Nursery, New Delhi, 21 November to 8 December 2026. - SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2027 — Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi, 1 February to 28 February 2027 (28 days).

SARAS Aajeevika Melas are organised under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), the umbrella scheme that promotes SHG-based rural livelihoods. They give SHG women a platform to sell handicrafts, handloom, food products and agro-based goods directly to urban consumers, supporting 'Vocal for Local' and Atmanirbhar Bharat. They also build SHG capacity in packaging, branding and marketing.

Exam angle: DAY-NRLM was launched in 2011 (renamed in 2015) and is a centrally sponsored scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development. As of recent data, about 10 crore women are mobilised into roughly 90 lakh SHGs nationwide. The SARAS acronym stands for Sale of Articles of Rural Artisans Society. Aspirants should differentiate it from related schemes — PMAY-Gramin (housing), MGNREGA (wage employment), PMGSY (rural roads), all run by the same Ministry.