Ministry of Railways has launched the ‘One Station One Product’ (OSOP) scheme with objectives to promote the ‘Vocal for Local’ vision of the Government of India and provide a market for local or indigenous products which will create additional income opportunities for the marginalised sections of society, said an official statement on Monday.

Under the scheme, ‘One Station One Product’ outlets at railway stations are allotted for showcasing, selling and giving high visibility to indigenous /local products, the official statement added. According to the statement, 728 stations are covered with 785 OSOP outlets in 21 States and 3 Union Territories across the country.

These OSOP stalls are designed through National Design Institute for uniformity.
Product categories, under this scheme, include Handicrafts/ Artefacts, Textiles and Handlooms, Traditional Garments and Local agricultural produce (including millet)/ Processed/semi-processed foods.

Officials said that the OSOP scheme certainly succeeded to provide enhanced livelihood and skill development opportunities to local artisans, potters, handloom weavers, and tribals and help local businesses and the supply chain.

They said that OSOP is specific to that place and includes artefacts made by indigenous tribes, handlooms by local weavers, handicrafts like world-famous wood carving, chikankari and zari-zardozi work on clothes, or spices tea, coffee and other processed/semi-processed food items/products indigenously grown in the area, as for example, Taant sarees of West Bengal, Bhagalpur Silk sarees, Terracotta Products, Bamboo products and jute products.

As per the official statement, in Eastern Railway 57 stalls are now operating at different stations in four divisions viz. Howrah, Sealdah, Asansol, Malda. Out of which, 21 stalls in Howrah Division, 7 in Malda Division, 7 in Asansol Division and 22 in Sealdah Division.

“We have set up many such stalls in Eastern Railway in which we are promoting local handicrafts. We have decided that this year we will conduct such programs in many more stations”, Kaushik Mitra, CPRO Eastern Railway, Kolkata said.
“The products in these OSOP stalls are widely varied envisaging Taant Handloom Saree, Handloom Saree, Cotton Textiles, Pottery, Terracotta products, Silk handloom sarees, Clay products, Cane and Bamboo Products, Brush and metal products, embroidery soft toys, tea leaves, artificial jewellery, Conshell artefacts, paper crafts, dry flowers and decorative products”, CPRO Mitra said.

Mitra said that the Eastern Railway has already identified 380 stations for establishing OSOP stalls which are in different locations from highly urbanized areas to rural to add flavours of a wide range of products in the product mix, providing opportunities for marketing indigenous products at the doorsteps of the small entrepreneurs & artisans, as per the statement.

“Railway stations are visited by thousands of passengers from every corner of the country and also by foreign tourists frequently. Even a highly localized product of West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand in Eastern Railway network are now getting the scope of global marketing for the indigenous products”, he added.

The CPRO also expressed high hopes for the scheme generating more employment for the artisans.

“The OSOP appears to be an employment generator turning lives of many artisans & leading the per capita income even at its best level of the society. The subsidence wage earners thus get a chance for a better living and educate their children providing even luxury goods to their family members, which in turn influences the business cycle resulting in more frequent rotation of both money and products in the economy boosting the economy further”, he said.

Mitra said that the emergence of ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ is evident in the success of OSOP stall owners.

Taking the example of the OSOP stall Bonny’s Creations won by Barnali Chakraborty at Nangi station in Eastern Railway, he said that it helped the proprietor to increase sales value for her organization by more than 50 per cent than that earned earlier.

“In another instance, Pinky Haldar running an OSOP stall at Jadavpur station for selling textile jewellery recorded an average monthly sale of Rs 60,000 with which she managed to have a comfortable livelihood. OSOP also succeeded in showcasing the weaving tales & traditions of the master weaver Shri Biren Kumar Basak and exhibited his 12-yard saga to the common people in a grand way,” he added.