Jharkhand’s Palash Diwali melas are bringing more than 500 rural women entrepreneurs into district-level markets, with the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society targeting business worth about Rs 1 crore from festival products before the fairs close on November 16.
The melas are being organised by JSLPS, which operates under the Rural Development Department, in coordination with local administrations across the state. The initiative is designed to connect products made by Sakhi Mandal members with Diwali shoppers and improve the earnings of rural women entrepreneurs during the festive season.
The stalls offer traditional and designer earthen diyas, handmade Lakshmi-Ganesh idols, decorative candles, puja materials, madua and sesame laddoos, bamboo crafts, LED lamps, paper flowers and Palash gift hampers. The product range combines festival essentials with locally made food, craft and gifting items.
JSLPS has set a sales target that includes six lakh earthen diyas, 50,000 pairs of Lakshmi-Ganesh idols and 50,000 designer candles. The organisation said the fairs are intended to create a direct market connection for women producers, rather than limiting sales to their villages or relying only on informal local demand.
The programme has also been extended to block-level locations in Gumla, Simdega and West Singhbhum, according to an official quoted by the Times of India. Taking the fairs beyond district headquarters brings the initiative closer to smaller urban and semi-urban markets, while widening access for shoppers and participating producers.
JSLPS CEO Ananya Mittal said the melas were being held in all districts to enhance the income of rural women entrepreneurs through Diwali and Chhath sales. The fairs therefore link two successive festival markets and provide a short-term sales window for products associated with household worship, decoration, food and traditional crafts.
The initiative also reflects the administrative role of JSLPS and local authorities in organising physical marketplaces for self-help group producers. Beyond production, such markets require stall space, local coordination and access to customers, making public facilitation an important part of the sales effort.
After Diwali, JSLPS plans to organise Palash Chhath Vishesh Bazaars across all districts. These markets will promote bamboo soop, a traditional hand-woven flat winnowing basket, and daura used in Chhath rituals. The next round of fairs will extend the seasonal market opportunity for rural women producing traditional items linked to the festival.
The Diwali melas will continue until November 16, after which the planned Chhath bazaars are expected to carry the Palash market programme into the next festival cycle.
