J&K to have 10 more handloom clusters
11 Jul 2008
Minister of textiles Shankersinh Vaghela today said that the government is working to promote the activities of Handicrafts and Handlooms Exports Corporation, (HHEC) and has sanctioned 10 more clusters of handlooms for J&K.
Addressing the Parliamentary consultative committee attached to the textiles ministry in New Delhi today, Vaghela said that corporation, was running a number of activities to provide support to artisans and weavers for the upgradation of their skills, design inputs, training and marketing their products as a result of which more than 10,000 weavers had direct and indirect employment.
Vaghela informed the members that the corporation has 21 procurement centres all over the country to help and provide technical support to the weavers at the grass root level.
Reiterating the government's commitment for the marketing support to the artisans, the minister said that the Central Cottage Industries Corporation (CCIC) handles procurement and sales of quality handicrafts and handlooms products not only for the domestic market but also for exports.
He said that the CCIC had also opened showrooms to showcase traditional arts culture apart from supporting artisan and has made efforts to eliminate the middlemen in the marketing of handlooms.
Briefing the members about the National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum (NHHM) also known as Crafts Museum at Delhi, Vaghela said that the museum has a collection of over 32,000 artifacts consisting of metal icon, lamps, incense burners and ritual accessories. The museum library has more than 20,000 reference books and other periodicals.
Participating in the meeting the members suggested that the more centers should be opened to provide design support to the grass root artisans.
