At international trade fair in November, Delhi govt to give boost to local entrepreneurs

Officials said the Corporation has invited applications for allotments of stalls at the Delhi pavilion. Said another official, “Earlier too, we had invited entrepreneurs and private players on a pilot basis but due to Covid, the number of applications we received was fewer than expected. But this time, it is going to be on a large scale as we have also got a big space (760 sqm as compared to last year’s 550 sqm) on the ground floor. This will help local artisans, MSMEs and entrepreneurs in a big way as the Delhi pavilion is frequented by lakhs.”

This year, Delhi will be the focus state of the fair, an official said, adding the government will hold a conference at Bharat Mandapam. The fair will be held from November 14 to 27, between 9.30 am and 7.30 pm, at Pragati Maidan. This year, the first five days, November 14-18, have been kept exclusively for business visitors to give the event more B2B character, said officials, adding that the fair will be opened to the public from November 19.

“I think this is a wonderful initiative for budding entrepreneurs and local businesses. Production happens easily but supplying a product to the market is difficult. I think this platform will help Delhi entrepreneurs in promoting their business,” said Puneet Bharadwaj, an entrepreneur dealing in women’s footwear.

The last date for submitting applications for the fair is October 23. “Interested people can visit DSIIDC’s website to apply. Preference would be given to women/SC/ST entrepreneurs and/or products/services manufactured by MSMEs, self-help groups, startups, and award-winning artisans,” said officials.