Panvel: Providing a festive marketplace and a platform to showcase their products, the three-day 'Udyogika Diwali Mahotsav 2026', organised by the Women and Child Welfare Department of the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC), concluded on Sunday with an enthusiastic response from residents.
Three-Day Festival Draws Large Crowds To Nutan Gujarati School Grounds
Apart from generating sales over the three days, the exhibition helped participants connect with new customers, establish visibility for their businesses and understand consumer preferences. For several women who had set up stalls for the first time, the event provided valuable exposure and confidence to take their businesses forward.
The event was inaugurated by MLA Prashant Thakur in the presence of Mamta Pritam Mhatre, chairperson of the PMC's Women and Child Welfare Committee, committee members, corporators and civic officials. At the inauguration, Thakur appreciated the initiative, stating that providing women entrepreneurs with a dedicated platform also helps promote their financial independence.
Political Leaders Visit Exhibition To Encourage Women Entrepreneurs
Several prominent personalities, including MP Ramsheth Thakur, former municipal council president J M Mhatre and former leader of the opposition Pritam Janardan Mhatre, visited the exhibition and encouraged the participating entrepreneurs.
The festival featured stalls selling traditional Diwali snacks, jewellery, Ayurvedic products, herbal bath powders, handicrafts, decorative items, garments and a variety of food products. Women from self-help groups as well as individual entrepreneurs from the municipal corporation area participated.
PMC Provides Free Stalls To Support Women-Led Businesses
The PMC provided the stalls free of cost, enabling women to display their products and sell directly to customers without having to bear the expense of renting exhibition space.
Apart from generating sales over the three days, the exhibition helped participants connect with new customers, establish visibility for their businesses and understand consumer preferences. For several women who had set up stalls for the first time, the event provided valuable exposure and confidence to take their businesses forward.
Bal Krida Nagari Emerges As Major Attraction For Children
An additional attraction was the Bal Krida Nagari (children's activity zone), which offered a combination of educational and recreational activities.
The attractions included a mobile planetarium offering a journey through space, mini car racing, 'Engineer for a Day', 'Chef for a Day' and several intellectual and recreational games. The activities were designed to encourage children's curiosity, imagination and creativity through hands-on experiences.
PMC School Students Experience Mobile Planetarium
Students from PMC-run schools were also given an opportunity to experience the mobile planetarium. Parents accompanying their children visited the women's stalls and made purchases, bringing together children's learning activities and a marketplace for women entrepreneurs.
Participating women expressed satisfaction with the exposure, business recognition and opportunity to interact with prospective customers. They also urged the civic body to organise similar platforms regularly to help them expand their businesses.
Mamta Pritam Mhatre, chairperson of the PMC's Women and Child Welfare Committee, said the festival had provided women with a platform to showcase their skills, a marketplace for their products and an opportunity to benefit from their hard work.
"The increased confidence among women as they move towards financial independence is the real success of this festival. We will continue our efforts towards their empowerment," she said.
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