Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) undertakes various initiatives in “100 Days Programmes”
Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) undertakes various initiatives in “100 Days Programmes”
The office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles under its “100 Days Programme” undertook various initiatives including Shilp Didi Programme, Up-skilling in 100 Clusters, Inauguration of Textiles Gallery, National Craft Museum, New Delhi and, Craft Village & Common Facility Center at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
The Shilp Didi Programme was the first of its kind online training programme where 100-woman artisans from 72 districts across 23 States were trained to onboard onto e-commerce portals and social media platforms along with helping them to apply for GST registration, inventory management, order and catalogue management to enhance their businesses. The Union Minster of Textiles Shri Giriraj Singh interacted with Shilp Didis at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi and understood their challenges and encouraged them with reference to their learning about GST, entrepreneurship development and relevance of social media in their economic journey. The programme culminated with 37 Shilp Didis becoming Lakhpati during the 100 days programme.
“The Bunkar & Karigar Utthan Programme” was launched in 100 handicraft and handloom clusters across the country for up-skilling artisans and weavers of the clusters. Minister of State for Textiles Shri Pabitra Margherita inaugurated the programme on 27th July 2024. Under this programme seventy design and skill upgradation training programmes were started, to impart trainings to approximately 2100 artisans across the identified handicraft clusters. The artisans were provided trainings to upskill their knowledge of craft practice which ultimately enhance their production and earning.
Further, as a part of government’s initiative, with the support of BPCL, Ministry of Textiles set up a new textile gallery called “Tradition & Innovation” at the National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy, New Delhi and was inaugurated by the Union Minster of Textiles Shri Giriraj Singh on 8th August 2024. About, 150 traditional textiles objects are being displayed in varied styles and techniques under seven different categories viz A) Embroideries; B) Block Prints & Resist Dyed Fabrics; C) Brocaded fabrics – of different regions of India; D) Kalamkari; E) Sarees-the Backbone of India; F) Weaves of India; G) Works of Vishwakarma Artisans revival for Indian Textile. A segment of the gallery is designed to showcase the new innovations in traditional textiles as experimented by the young & talented designers of today’s India.
Lastly, two significant infrastructural projects viz. Craft Tourism Village at Mahewa, Naini, Prayagraj and Common Facility Center (CFC) for Terracotta craft at Phaphamau, Prayagraj were inaugurated by the Union Minister for Textiles, Shri Giriraj Singh on 13th September 2024. The infrastructure projects were designed to support the traditional artisans of Uttar Pradesh, promote sustainable livelihoods, and enhance the socio-economic status of the artisans of the identified clusters. The inauguration marks a pivotal shift in promoting India’s rich cultural heritage while integrating craft promotion with tourism and enhanced productivity through modern infrastructural support. The Craft Tourism Village is a new concept of combining living craft ecosystem with tourism. The village houses approx. five hundred artisans who live, work, and sell their products at the same location. The key objective is to ensure livelihood security for artisans while connecting the village with tourist circuits to increase craft visibility and sales. The village has been provided with upgraded infrastructure including common display & exhibition areas, workspaces and improved housing.
The Common Facility Center (CFC) aims to streamline terracotta production by providing artisans access to modern technology, raw materials, and facilities at reduced costs. This initiative is expected to uplift over 1,000 artisans involved in terracotta craft in the identified cluster of Phaphamau, Prayagraj,Uttar Pradesh offering them better opportunities for income generation.
***