Maneka Gandhi inaugurates 5th organic festival

Aiming to promote women entrepreneurs, producers and farmers in the organic field from across India, the 5th edition of the "Women of India National Organic Festival" was inaugurated by Union Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Maneka Gandhi on Friday.

The 10-day festival being held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) from October 26 to November 4, will have producers and manufacturers of organic products from 26 Indian states.

The event saw the participation of over 500 women entrepreneurs with around 1,200 varieties of organic products, including varieties of rice, pulses, spices, cosmetics and other bio products.

"This is our ministry's effort to be a part of what can be done to change the world and at the same time empower our women. This year's edition is the largest ever and has a large vegan section as well as food court," Maneka Gandhi said.

The minister also added that the festival has now expanded to other cities and has already been organized in a big way in Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Chennai.

"The participants are being encouraged to sell their products on a long term basis on WCD Ministry's e-marketing portal Mahila-e-Haat," she added.

--IANS

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