Puducherry, March 3 A Prime Minister Ekta Mall (Unity Mall) will be set up in Puducherry at a cost of ₹128 crore to promote handicrafts.
According to a release on Tuesday, the Centre had approved the grant to set up the Ekta Mall under the "Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment" (SASCI).
"This is a transformative initiative dedicated to empowering local artisans, weavers, and craftspeople of the Union Territory," it said.
The Ekta Mall, an ambitious project aimed at creating a permanent and prime location platform to empower artisans and provide them with unprecedented visibility and market access, will come up on over 4.7 acres of land here, the release said.
The products made by the craftsmen will represent the cultural identity of their districts, which will gain buyers beyond the local weekly markets. The mall has been conceived as a dedicated platform for the "one district one product" initiative and Geographical Indication (GI) tagged goods.
The Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has provided the entire grant of ₹128 crore for the establishment of the PM Ekta Mall in Puducherry, the release added.