The Bengal government has come up with an initiative to erect kiosks around major Durga Puja pandals in Calcutta to sell products made by women’s self-help groups from rural Bengal.

The move is aimed at compensating people who lost their livelihoods after the Centre withheld the release of funds under the MGNREGA because of alleged misappropriation in Bengal. “As a salve, the government has come up with this initiative wherein residents of rural areas can sell their wares or produce from dedicated kiosks positioned around several prominent Durga Puja pandals in the city,” said a source.

“We have selected 20 famous Puja pandals so far and they will host items, including handicrafts and spices, for sale. The initiative has been taken up to help rural people, mainly women, get some additional income. Apart from Calcutta, we are also putting up such stalls in at least 20 districts,” said Tanmoy Ghosh, the chairman of the West Bengal Swarojgar Corporation Limited.

Suruchi Sangha, Sobhabazar Beniatola Sarbajanin Durga Puja and Ballygunge Cultural Association are among the pandals in the city where such stalls would be put up.Bengal has over 10 lakh self-help groups constituted by nearly 1.1 crore women who produce traditional handicrafts, food and saris of their districts concerned. Some of the notable wares made available by the self-help groups are Baluchari sari from Bankura’s Bishnupur, mattresses made by Sabai grass from Jhargram, Sitalpati from Cooch Behar, Chhau-mask from Purulia and imitation jewellery from Howrah.

Sources in the state administration said they were trying their best to reach out to rural residents and were offering benefits in multiple ways. The move to put up hundreds of stalls near Puja pandals is one of many steps by the Mamata Banerjee government to woo rural people facing a shortage of income following the absence of MGNREGA’s 100day job guarantee scheme.

“The self help group members usually come from poor families and their income helps them support their livelihood. A family used to earn around Rs 25,00050,000 as additional income from the 100-day scheme. But the absence of the opportunity led those families to face a sheer crisis,” said an official in the panchayat department.

The central government stopped sending funds for the MGNREGA this financial year alleging anomalies and embezzlement of the funds by rural bodies. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had sent two letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to resume the fund release, citing damages being caused to rural livelihoods.

Trinamul Congress sources said the state government was trying hard to ensure a source of income for rural people, especially before the panchayat polls scheduled for next year.

“Rural people don't understand the issues of a tug of war between the Centre and the state government and they know only the people occupying the chairs of rural bodies. So, it is very important that before the panchayat polls those people at least be given a few additional incomes,” said the Trinamul district president of a South Bengal district.