Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir’s first rural mart has been set up in Anantnag district to promote and market the handicraft products manufactured by the women self help groups (SHGs) in the state, a NABARD official said today.

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned the mart in Kokernag in south Kashmir under its rural mart scheme, the official said here He said the mart aims to promote and market the Kashmiri handicraft products manufactured by the women SHGs of the area and was inaugurated by chief general manager of NABARD for Jammu and Kashmir, Vijay Kumar.

The mart, which has been set up under total grant support from NABARD, would help the SHGs to market their products and realise better sales, the official said.

The chief general manager informed that the rural mart was the first such mart in J-K and that NABARD looks forward to sanction many more to well performing self help groups, he said.

Kumar urged the people to support empowerment of women by way of forming the SHGs and getting the benefit of various schemes.

He elaborated on various schemes being implemented by the NABARD for empowerment of women, the official said.