In Telangana State, 26 Railway stations are covered with 29 outlets of ‘One Station One Product’
The ‘One Station One Product’ 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 marginalized 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.
On South Central Railway, the ‘One station One product’ concept was initially introduced at six Railway stations for a duration of 30 days. Eventually, with the terrific response received for the pilot project, the outlets have since been spread over seventy Railway stations on the zone. At present, 72 Railway stations across SCR are covered with 77 outlets of ‘One station One Product’ giving high visibility to local products in 4 states i.e., Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka under SCR jurisdiction.
In the State of Telangana, Twenty-six Railway stations including Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Kacheguda, Warangal, Nizamabad, Gadwal etc., are covered with 29 stalls of one station one product 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, Handi crafts; Nirmal toys, local delicacies etc.,
Handloom sarees are a traditional textile art of India and the production of these sarees is vital for the economic development of rural India. 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. Narayanpet district of Telangana is renowned for its exquisite and unique cotton handloom and silk sarees, which are widely popular. Over Six outlets have been allocated for this variety of sarees which not only gives due recognition to local weavers but also contributes towards socio-economic development.
Recently, the sale of millet based products is being encouraged by 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.
Shri Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager expressed that the ‘One station One product’ scheme gives a great opportunity to local artisans to showcase their products. He expressed that Railway stations are well suited to promote indigenous products which are famous at the surrounding places among the travelling passengers.
Testimonials by local artisans:
M/S Aarunya Handlooms, a self help group from Narayanapet who have been awarded a handloom OSOP outlet at Secunderabad Railway station, shared that “Daily lakhs of passengers are coming to the station and most of the Rail commuters are visiting our stall. The sale of handlooms per day is approximately Rs. 3,500 per day on normal days and upto Rs. 5000/- during festive seasons. We are really grateful for this opportunity which is very helpful for our weavers.
Mr. V. Praveen, a weaver of Chenetha Sahakara Sangam who has been awarded an OSOP stall at Nizamabad Railway station, while sharing his experience stated that “Earlier, we were totally dependent on the retailers and were unable to collect such a huge market with marginal charges, but now, the Chenetha clothes are getting more famous among the passengers. We are really thankful for such a scheme to provide market to the underprivileged weavers”.