Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah will inaugurate the National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” at Dilli Haat, INA tomorrow.The theme of the 15 days’ Mahotsav (16^th to 30^th November, 2019) is: “A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Culture, Craft, Cuisine and Commerce”. Union Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Arjun Munda, will preside over the inaugural function. Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Smt. Renuka Singh Saruta; Chairman, TRIFED, Shri R.C. Meena; Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs Shri Deepak Khandekar and MD, TRIFED Shri Praveen Krishna will be present on the occasion.

The festival will feature exhibition-cum-sale of tribal handicrafts, art, paintings, fabric, jewellery and much more through about 210stalls. Over 1000 tribal artisans and artists from different States creating a Mini-India will participate in thefestival.

Post inauguration of event on 16^th November 2019, the balance 14 days of the festival have been dedicated to Parliamentarians’ Day, All India Service Day, Diplomats’ Day, Tourism Day, Defence Day, Sports Day, Textile Day, IAS Officers Wive’s Association, Media Day, Cooperative Day, North East Day, TRIFED Partner/Tribal Entrepreneur Day with Closing Ceremony on last day i.e. 30^th November 2019. 

The tribal textiles manufactured by Master tribal Craftsmen from Jammu & Kashmir in the North to Tamil Nadu in the South and from Gujarat in the West to Nagaland/Sikkim in the East will be the main attractions. For the first time, this AADI MAHOTSAV will showcase a wide range of products from the tribal artisans from Leh (Ladaakh). Apart from this special attraction, a wide range of products from North Eastern States will be on display and sale. TheTribalhandicrafts will be soldthrough about 210Stalls under the Tribes Banner by tribalArtisans.

In line with the national aspiration to go cashless, the tribal artisanswill beacceptingpaymentthroughmajorcredit/debitcardsforwhich Point of Sale (POS) machines have been provided in each stall. A special training has been conducted by State Bank of India for smooth operations of this. The Mahotsav is  displaying the rich digital commerce and e-commerce being promoted by Tribes India.The Aadi Mahotsav is an effort to take tribal commerce to the next level of digital and electronic transactions. The Mahotsav apart from exotic handicrafts is also showcasing the electronic and digital skills of the tribals as a special attraction.

TRIFED an organisation of Ministry of Tribal Affairs has started a new concept of organising “Aadi Mahotsav – National Tribal Festival” to provide direct market access to the tribal master-craftsmen and women in large metros and State capitals. 26 such festivals are planned to be organised during the current financial year.  Out of which, 8 festivals have been already organised at Shimla, Ooty, Leh-Ladakh, Visakhapatnam, Noida, Indore, Pune and Bhubaneswar wherein about 900 tribal artisans participated and realized sales of more than Rs. 5 crore.The concept of organising Aadi Mahotsav in major cities has proved to be a boon for tribal artisans by eliminating the middle man and providing direct access to large markets, otherwise impossible to reach for them. In line with the national aspiration to go cashless, the tribal merchandise stalls will be accepting payment through major credit/debit cards.

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NB/SK/jk-TA/15/11/2019

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