Lucknow, Dec 31 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate a new Carpet Expo Mart in Bhadohi district on Thursday, giving a major boost to the carpet industry.

The Carpet Expo Mart building will house shops and an exhibition centre which will help bring sellers and buyers under one roof.

The Chief Minister will also inaugurate 10 development projects for Bhadohi and lay the foundation stone for five other projects during his visit.

Navneet Sehgal, Additional Chief Secretary (MSME), said, "At present, the annual export of carpets from Bhadohi is about Rs 8,000 crore and this mart will help to increase exports. Other than making available all types of carpets to buyers under one roof, the mart will also help carpet makers and sellers to explore new markets and find new buyers."

The mart has been built by the MSME and Exports Promotion Department at a cost of Rs 170 crore.

Spread over 7.50 acres, the mart has two buildings which includes a shopping mart and an exhibition hall.

The three-storey shopping mart complex is built in an area of 7,000 sqm and has 94 shops, which include 30 shops on the ground floor, 31 on the first floor and 33 on the second floor.

The exhibition hall building is spread over an area of 3,400 sqm and has two exhibition halls, one each on the ground floor and the first floor. The building is centrally air conditioned and will also have a canteen.

The new mart will also function as a common facilitation centre for all stakeholders where international export conferences, buyer-seller meets and other activities will be organised to give a boost to the carpet industry and generate employment, said Sehgal.

The Bhadohi carpet industry is part of the state government's one district-one product scheme under which traditional crafts of each district have been identified for upgradation and promotion.