Rs 172 crore PM Ekta Mall in Vizag To Promote AP’s 99 ODOP Products
Jitin Prasada said to encourage ODOP products, the union government has created a ODOP Gift Catalogue containing more than 1,000 products, including Etikoppaka toys and Dharmavaram Sarees.
Kakinada:Union Commerce and Industries minister of state Jitin Prasada said 99 products from 26 districts of Andhra Pradesh, out of more than 1,000 products in the country have been identified under the One District and One Product (ODOP) programme.
These will be promoted at the PM Ekta Mall being set up in Visakhapatnam at a cost of ₹172 crore over an extent of five acres. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has approved a detailed project report (DPR) in this regard and the PM Ekta Mall, whose construction has commenced, is expected to be completed by May 2026, the union minister stated in the Lok Sabha in response to a put up by Eluru Lok Sabha member on the ODOP programme.
Jitin Prasada said to encourage ODOP products, the union government has created a ODOP Gift Catalogue containing more than 1,000 products, including Etikoppaka toys and Dharmavaram Sarees. PM Ekta Malls will market these products, some of which are already operating in the country.
The union minister said of the ODOP products identified in AP, seven are related to agriculture, five food processing, 29 handicrafts, 32 handlooms and textile, six manufacturing, three marine and three other sectors.
He, however, made it clear that DPIIT has no special financial assistance to encourage sale of these products. The state government has to encourage marketing of these products.
Jitin Prasada said as a part of the programme, infrastructure projects, such as facilitation centres, testing laboratories, packaging units and design centres have been taken up to increase the capacity of manufacturers and exporters of ODOP products. Training programmes, workshops and capacity building camps have been organised for government offices, MSMEs and entrepreneurs, particularly youth and women, to increase the sales of ODOP products. Training is being provided on marketing, branding, packaging and quality standards.
The union minister pointed out that sales of these products are increasing. They are also available on online platforms of Lepakshi and APCO.