Budgam: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today inaugurated the two-day annual Youth Festival of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) “SPECTRUM-24” at NIFT campus Ompora Budgam.
In his address, the LG congratulated the NIFT Srinagar for providing opportunities to the students of educational institutions of Kashmir Valley to explore their hidden talents in performing arts, sports, fashion shows and literary programs.
“Our youth power is building a prosperous future for J&K. Youths are our biggest strength and they are committed to taking UT to greater heights”, the LG said.
According to an official press release, he said the two-day festival is also an opportunity for youth to exchange innovative and creative ideas for promoting our rich cultural and artistic heritage.
On the occasion, the LG commended the contribution of NIFT Srinagar in the area of design development and positioning of handlooms and handicrafts and providing new career avenues to the aspiring youth of J&K in fashion design and management.
“Our handloom and handicraft sector has undergone a major revolution in the last 4-5 years. Students of NIFT can play a decisive role in design development and positioning of handloom and handicraft products,” he observed.
He advised the students to get themselves acquainted with the precious handicrafts tradition of Jammu Kashmir, so that they can assist the Handicrafts department in brand positioning and to incubate new ideas in different product categories.
The LG also talked about the policy reforms introduced by the UT administration to transform the handicrafts and handloom sector.
In June 2023, the administration notified 32 new crafts and at present the total number of registered crafts has increased to 60. It is also being ensured that every handicraft artist and weaver gets the benefit of GI certification, testing, labelling and training, the LG said.
He called upon NIFT students and faculty members to support artisans in brand positioning, product designing and packaging.
The LG also highlighted the important role of academic institutions in establishing India as a knowledge economy.
“Higher education sector in J&K is going through reformative changes. Institutions like NIFT should also make the necessary reforms, aligned with NEP 2020, to meet the future needs of the market,” he added.
This year’s NIFT Youth Festival has been organised under the theme of “Rangreza” in which more than 600 students will be participating in 24 events like Best Out of Waste, Mural Art, Frame within the Frame, Battle of Bands, Mental Marathon, Open Mic, etc.
Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Vikramjit Singh, Commissioner Secretary, Industries & Commerce Department; Akshay Labroo, Deputy Commissioner Budgam; Dr. Javid Ahmad Wani, Director NIFT Srinagar, faculty members, students of NIFT and other participating institutions were present on the occasion.
