Kumar Bahukhandi
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai (C) unveils the Chhattisgarh Herbals Diwali gift packs in the presence of Deputy Chief Ministers Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma and Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap at the Chief Minister’s residence in Raipur on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Photo: channel24india.com via via CG/CMO
Premium and regular packs prepared with products from Van Dhan centres will be available at Sanjeevani outlets across the state
Key Highlights
- Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai unveiled the Chhattisgarh Herbals Diwali gift packs at his residence in Raipur.
- The initiative aims to expand the market for local and herbal products and support forest produce collectors and women’s self-help groups.
- The premium pack contains nine selected products, while the regular pack contains five.
- The gift packs will be available at Sanjeevani sales outlets operated by the Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Cooperative Federation.
- Products include forest honey, herbal preparations, local beverages, cookies, cashews and green tea.
Raipur: Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday, October 27, unveiled Chhattisgarh Herbals Diwali gift packs at the Chief Minister’s residence in Civil Lines, Raipur, giving a festive platform to products prepared by women’s self-help groups associated with Van Dhan Vikas Kendras.
The initiative seeks to connect Chhattisgarh’s local and herbal products with a wider market while strengthening the livelihoods of forest produce collectors and the women involved in processing, packaging and marketing them.
The Chief Minister said the state’s rich forest resources were an important source of livelihood for lakhs of forest-dwelling families. He emphasised the need to increase value addition within Chhattisgarh so that the economic benefits reach collectors and women’s groups.
Local products, wider markets
Sai said women associated with Van Dhan Vikas Kendras were processing local forest produce into quality products. Better packaging, branding and market access, he said, could give their work greater recognition and create opportunities for higher incomes.
He appealed to people to give preference to products made in Chhattisgarh, particularly when choosing gifts for Diwali. Purchasing and gifting local products, he said, could support forest-area families, women entrepreneurs and the rural economy.
Premium and regular gift packs
The Diwali gift packs have been prepared in two categories. The premium pack contains nine selected products, while the regular pack contains five.
The range of products mentioned for the gift packs includes jamun juice and spread, amla candy, tamarind candy, cookies made from kodo and mahua, chyawanprash, wild forest honey, spiced and salted cashews from Bastar, green tea from Jashpur and aloe vera gel.
The packs will be available to the public through Sanjeevani sales outlets run by the Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Cooperative Federation. The release did not specify the price of either pack.
Products from Van Dhan centres
The products are prepared at Van Dhan Vikas Kendras and processing units across the state. These include centres at Kaurinbhata in Rajnandgaon, Bodla in Kawardha, Panchakki in Jashpur, Asna in Jagdalpur, Dugli in Dhamtari and Donganala in Katghora, as well as the central processing unit at Jamgaon (M) in Durg.
According to the information provided by the state government, these centres have an annual turnover of approximately ₹60 lakh to ₹70 lakh. Their processing and value-addition activities create local employment and income opportunities.
Women’s self-help groups participate in production, processing, packaging and related work. The government expects that increased demand for the Diwali packs will support sales of forest-based products and strengthen livelihoods in forest regions.
