Editor’s Note
The 44th India International Trade Fair, themed ‘One India, Great India’, is showcasing the nation’s vast economic diversity at Pragati Maidan. This article highlights how the event brings together traditional crafts, modern startups, and regional specialties from across the country.
The Bharat Mandapam complex has transformed into a dynamic exhibition of India’s economic diversity. It brings together traditional crafts, agricultural enterprises, startup innovations, and regional specialties from various states across the country.
The 44th India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2025, themed ‘One India, Great India’, is being held with great fanfare at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Over 3,500 participants are taking part in this fair. Each of these entrepreneurs has crafted their own story of labor, heritage, and ambition.
The fair was inaugurated on 14 November 2025. The nearly fourteen-day program is not merely a commercial assembly but is an opportunity platform where entrepreneurs from the first generation to the new generation, rural artisans, and homegrown brands gauge and test the demand for their various products, connect with buyers, learn from peers, and also gather information about support available from various government departments. IITF also provides a significant opportunity for various exhibitors to take a step forward into a large national market. Seen from this perspective, IITF represents the country’s emerging enterprises – which also reflects the confidence, continuous progress, and a self-reliant India within them.
Did you know? The India International Trade Fair (IITF), organized annually by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) since 1980, is one of India’s most important commercial platforms for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), artisans, startups, and general industries to connect with buyers and expand their market reach. In recent years, it has also played a crucial role in showcasing various facets of India’s manufacturing prowess, innovation, and traditional crafts.
Last year in 2024, the fair attracted nearly one million visitors, establishing itself as one of the country’s premier trade events. IITF is held at Bharat Mandapam, a modern convention and exhibition complex built within Pragati Maidan and inaugurated in 2023.
Bharat Mandapam has been developed as a world-class venue for hosting global exhibitions and major summits in the country. Spread over approximately 123 acres, it features a 7,000-seat convention hall, seven exhibition halls, and over 100,000 square meters of exhibition space.
It is noteworthy that hosting nearly 90 commercial exhibitions and related events organized annually by ITPO has helped the national capital, New Delhi, establish an identity as a leading international exhibition destination.
In the Bihar pavilion, 45-year-old Shridhi Kumari, standing amidst the flowing Bhagalpuri silk and zari embroidered sarees in the picture, has been receiving this honor continuously for 12 years. She is a symbol of the country’s emerging women entrepreneurs.
The Bhagalpuri silk she showcases has received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. She says,
She explains that the Bihar government has provided her significant support through its women-entrepreneurship schemes. She states,
Sharing this, she said how administrative support fulfills the modest needs of first-time entrants. Her craft is a collaboration of skills from both Bihar and West Bengal, as her artisans come from both states, representing an inter-regional textile exchange. Shridhi mentions that another artisan, who had previously participated in IITF, encouraged her to participate as well.
When Shridhi participated in the GI-Mahotsav held last March 2025, her income was equivalent to her earnings of two to three months. This has given her the confidence to move forward this year as well.
Sitting a little further away in the queue, 49-year-old Tarun Pandey is arranging his soft ‘Bawbooti’ sarees. He is participating in the fair for the eighth time. Hailing from a traditional weaver family, Pandey is a traditional weaving artisan from Bihar who represents a weaving tradition prevalent in several villages of Bihar. The structure of each of his sarees reflects the meticulous labor invested in it.
