6 Trains from (KDP)KONDAPURAM to (NRPD)NARAYANPET ROAD

-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; TSCOhandlooms, 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”.

Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Hon’ble Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region, Govt. of India flagged off Train No. 17216 Dharmavaram – Vijayawada Express extended upto Machilipatnam in a function held at Vijayawada Railway Station today i.e., 14^th February, 2023 in the august presence of Shri Vallabbhaneni Balashowry, Hon’ble MP, Machilipatnam; Smt. R. Bhagya Lakshmi, Hon’ble Mayor, Vijayawada and Shri Somu Veer Raju, BJP President, AP State. Shri Shivendra Mohan, Divisional Railway Manager, Vijayawada Division and other Senior Railway Officials from Division were also present o­n the occasion.

 Speaking o­n the occasion, Shri G. Kishan Reddy stated that Railways plays a key role in the development of the Nation. In addition to being a major public and goods transporter, Railways also plays an important role in growth of Agricultural and Manufacturing sectors in Railway vicinities, he said. The Hon’ble Minister stated that under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister the Indian Railways is focusing o­n providing the best Railway services with modern technology to every citizen of India. In this regard, the Dharmavaram – Vijayawada Express has been extended upto Machilipatnam and inducted with new LHB coaches, which will provide comfortable travel experience with modern amenities to the passengers, he added. He also stated that apart from Machilipatnam, the train will stop at Gudivada, Gudlavalleru and Pedana stations, which provides additional travel facility to the people of these regions.

 Further, the Hon’ble Union Minister stated the extension of the train service to Machilipatnam also serves as the direct train facility to the rail passengers travelling from Rayalaseema region. For passengers travelling from Tadipatri, Kondapuram, Yerraguntla, Proddatur, Koilakuntla, Jammalamadugu and Banaganapalle, this is the first train providing direct connectivity to Machilipatnam, he added. Shri G. Kishan Reddy thanked the Central government for the record allocation of Rs. 8406 Crore to the State of Andhra Pradesh in the 2023-24 Budget and introducing Vande Bharat Express between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam o­n the eve of Sankranthi for the people of twin Telugu States. He said the Railways is undergoing massive transformation, capacity augmentation, infrastructural upgradation and technological advancements during the current phase to catch up with passenger demands and aspirations.

 Shri G. Kishan Reddy informed Vijayawada Railway station will be redeveloped with airport like facilities. In this regard, the Detailed Project Report is under progress and tenders will be issued soon after, he said. He also informed that Tirupati and Nellore Railway station redevelopment works are under fast progress.

 Shri Vallabbhaneni Balashowry, Hon’ble MP thanked the Railways for extending the Dharmaravaram – Vijayawada Express train upto Machilipatnam. He also appreciated the Railways for introducing the Vande Bharat trains which are providing fast, comfortable and safe journey to passengers. Earlier, Shri Shivendra Mohan, DRM, Vijayawada presented the welcome address to the gathering and gave a brief o­n Divisional performance and achievements.