Indian textiles ministry backs handicrafts & handlooms

16 Aug '12

3 min read

The Ministry of Textiles has urged all the Indian industries to source domestic handloom and indigenous handicrafts items for corporate gifting purposes in the coming festive season.

To further spread the message the ministry is organizing ‘Hastkala Conclave’, an initiative to form a threesome collaboration amongst Government, industry and crafts persons and weavers.

The Textiles Ministry has invited over 400 corporate and industrial houses, including IDBI Bank, Hindustan Fibre, Metro Hospitals and ITC to attend the Conclave. The Ministry believes that through this initiative the handloom and handicrafts sectors of the country will get better recognition on a larger platform.

Ms. Kiran Dhingra, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles said, “The aim of the event is to create awareness about the versatility of craftsmanship of Indian hand-made goods and weaves among the corporate and industrial sectors of India and forge a partnership with them for preservation and promotion of the same."

The event will be divided into three segments – first, a display of handicrafts and handloom items by crafts persons and weavers, second, a demonstration by the master artisans and third, seminars on market promotion of Indian handicrafts and handloom artefacts in the organized retail sector.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) are providing their support to this initiative taken by the Ministry. The marketing prerequisites will be met by organisations like the Central Cottage Industry Corporation (CCIC) and Handicrafts and Handloom Export Corporation (HHEC).

Industry experts believe that the corporate houses and Public Sector Undertakings can be of great help in the upliftment of the artisans. Through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds these large business enterprises can adopt small handloom and handicrafts units and can support them with the design investment-cum-creation of a market.

The handloom and handicrafts sector in India employs more than 15 million artisans, crafts persons and weavers, belonging majorly to the economically and socially challenged sections of the society in the rural parts of the country.

The draft report of the steering committee for the 12th Five Year Plan has acknowledged handlooms as one of the priority sectors for creation of large scale employment opportunities. The handicrafts sector has achieved around 5 percent of growth in job generation and with the corporate India’s involvement there will be more opportunities for job creation.

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