Rural Haat plays an important role in the economy of the village. It gives an opportunity to local farmers and traders to sell their commodities and produce directly to the consumers, also address the accessibility and mobility issues of the villagers by providing them an organised market near their villages.

Start-up village Entrepreneurship Program (SVEP) has contributed to boost the local economy of Marai village of Jandaha block by starting a local haat. Khusboo Mahila Bazar is the first weekly haat organised in Marai village of Hariprasad Panchayat in Jandaha Block. It was inaugurated on 11^th Feb 2019 by the Members of Astha and Himat Village Organisations in the presence of representatives from Gram Panchayat, Jeevika and Kudumbashree. This haat is also easily accessible by Visnupati and Karnaoti villages. It will cater to the needs of more than 700 households of nearby villages.  Need of a haat was realised by people of Marai village as they have to travel some 4-5 km to purchase daily consumption goods. Seeing the scope, MECMA CRP-EP group came up with the idea of weekly haat which was developed in consultation with Mentor from NRO and BPM-SVEP. Place for the market was finalised with the support of VO members after considering the various factors.

In the first day of the haat 26 entrepreneurs had participated. Among them, majority were vegetable vendors (16) and other enterprises like textile (4), chicken (2), snacks (2), kirana (1) and salon (1). The haat is expected to expand with participation from more entrepreneurs in the coming months. Among 26 entrepreneurs, 22 were support under SVEP. Total sales of Rs.11,737 was recorded in the first day. The market will function in every Monday and Saturday. The market will be closely monitored by CRP-EPs for at least 6 weeks with the support of Mentor and BPM which includes mobilisation of more entrepreneurs, maintaining records of sales and tracking footfall for the market.