Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha attended the 60th-anniversary celebration of the World Crafts Council (WCC) at Srinagar Tuesday and highlighted the steps taken by the government to unlock the tremendous potential of the Handloom and Handicrafts sector in J&K.
In his address, the LG extended his felicitations to all the delegates and artisans. He commended the efforts of the Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of External Affairs, Department of Industries & Commerce J&K, and World Crafts Council (WCC) to celebrate the rich traditions of handicrafts, handloom and to bring together distinguished artisans, designers, creative leaders and other stakeholders from across the globe, an official press release said.
“My dream is to make ‘made in Jammu & Kashmir’ creative products famous and integral part of the households across the world. Our aim is to also focus on global cooperation and improve people’s connection for these priceless artistic and cultural heritage of India,” the LG said.
He said several key initiatives like notification of J&K Wool Processing, Handicrafts and Handloom Policy 2020, Financial Support Scheme for Cooperatives and Self- Help Groups, Credit Card Scheme for artisans and weavers, Karkhandar Scheme, revival of tradition of Craft Bazar, initiative for seal of authenticity, QR code for carpets, modern packaging, building craft clusters and promotion of cooperative societies etc are the testament to our strong resolve towards the holistic development and empowering our talented artisans, and entrepreneurs.
The LG reiterated the commitment of the government for integrated development with a specific focus on increasing employment opportunities across the Union Territory and export promotion of Handloom and Handicraft products.
“We are also working on integrating crafts into tourism and positioning Jammu & Kashmir as a prime cultural destination to attract international visitors and providing a fillip to the tourism industry in order to strengthen the local economy,” he said.
On the occasion, the LG called for active participation of all the artisans at the grassroots levels to make Jammu & Kashmir self-reliant. He also assured all the support and assistance from the government to the artisans and entrepreneurs to address their legitimate concerns to further promote the growth and competitiveness of the Handloom and Handicrafts sector.
The LG also paid homage to Indian craft pioneer and one of the founders of the World Crafts Council Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay and recalled her important contribution to the promotion of handicrafts and cooperative grassroots movements for the social and economic upliftment of women and crafts-people.
The Lieutenant Governor visited the craft exhibition and inspected the stalls put up by the local, national and international artisans. He also felicitated the Artisans who have excelled in their respective areas of crafts. A World Crafts Council City book highlighting the milestone of 60 years of its journey was also released.
Atal Dulloo, Chief Secretary; Vikramjit Singh, Commissioner Secretary, Industries & Commerce Department, J&K; senior officials, members of World Crafts Council, delegates from various countries, local, national and International artisans were present.
