Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 19 (UNI) As many as 163 persons from across the country were rescued after being stranded in the flood-ravaged Chengannur of Pathanamthitta district.
They included, 28 women, from 18 states came to showcase products from across the country at the National-level SARAS (Sale of Articles of Rural Artisans Societies) Mela scheduled from August 14 to 23 at the Municipal Stadium, Chengannur and hailed from Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Gujarat, Telangana, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura and Goa.
The stranded people, who came for the Mela organised under the aegis of 'Kudumbasree', the women empowerment program, were accommodated at hotels in Chengannur and Pandalam, the worst flood affected areas in the district.