DC Budgam Inaugurates workshop cum awareness camp for artisans Directs Handicraft Department to pace up registration of Artisans

Budgam, March 03: District Development Commissioner, Budgam Tariq Hussain Ganai said that government is very sensitive about handicraft sector, he said efforts at all level are on to revive this sector to its old glory. The DDC said this while addressing a gathering of artisans, officials of handicrafts department and other concerned at Town Hall Budgam today. The gathering had assembled to participate in the day long workshop cum awareness camp organized by Handicrafts Department Budgam.

The DDC while appreciating the role of artisans and other interested unit holders for keeping this tradition live but even are responsible to give this art a new dimension and diversity as more and more unemployed entrepreneurs are registering themselves to extract employment avenues from this sector. He said in order to give this sector its old glory and take it at modern levels, the government has introduced many new artisan friendly schemes particularly providing modern carpet looms free of cost under mega cluster programme through banks at 10% interest subsidy, artisan credit scheme. Pension scheme for artisans enrolling themselves with newly launched PMSYMY scheme, besides providing market facilities to the artisans who wanted to participate in the government organized craft bazaars.

The DDC on the occasion announced that the administrating is going to organize a month long exhibition mela at Yousmarg and Doodhpathri tourist resorts and will provide all logistic support to the interested artisans/craftsman to establish their stalls which will enable them to sell their hand mad products, they can also demonstrate their potential of craftsmanship.

Earlier assistant director Handicrafts Budgam in his welcome address brief the gathering about functioning and future plans the department is going to mitigate in respect of implementing artisan friendly schemes. He said at present there are about 74 training centers imparting training in crweal emb, zari emb, sozni emb, chain stich emb, carpet weaving, gabba emb and tapstry of these centers 57 are elementary and 17 are advance centers functioning across the district. Presently 25000 trainee artisans are receiving skill trainings from trained teachers. He said an elementary trainee artist is paid Rs 500 per month as stipend while as an advance trainee artist is receiving Rs. 700 per month stipend.