People in all corners of the globe should proudly ask for “Made in India” Handicrafts: this is the dream that the Textiles Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar laid out before the members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of Ministry of Textiles, held at NIFT, Hyderabad on the eve of the inauguration of Make in India Week, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Minister said that artisans by themselves cannot glorify the rich cultural heritage of our country; the combined vision and efforts of all stakeholders, along with Government endeavours, is required. Gangwar underlined that all our energies, resources and enterprise should be wholeheartedly devoted to devising ways and means to realize this dream.
The Textiles Minister gave a brief overview of the initiatives being taken by the Government in this direction. He said that a comprehensive National Handicraft Development Programme has been launched which emphasizes integrated approach for holistic development & support to the crafts & artisans.
The new approach is built on the key element of empowering artisans by skill up gradation, design development, technology up gradation and supply of raw material, through easily accessible Common Facility Centres at cluster level. Developing and strengthening marketing linkages through various options such as exporters, direct sale, participation in sale expos and ecommerce is another major component of new approach. Welfare of the artisans is being taken care of through Handicrafts Artisans comprehensive welfare schemes.
The Minister also spoke of the export performance of the handicrafts sector.
Speaking of NIFT, Gangwar said that the premier academic institution in the country in the field of fashion education and research has deftly combined the local and the global as a part of its pedagogy. Through the Crafts Cluster Initiative,
NIFT faculty, students and alumni play a proactive role in the growth of traditional handicrafts & handlooms; at the same time, NIFT also collaborates with leading fashion institutions around the globe, through its 34 MoUs, to keep itself abreast of latest global trends and developments. The Minister said that it is a tribute to the academic rigour of NIFT programmes, that almost 3000 industry ready professionals are delivered by its various campuses and placed with the best names in the fashion industry every year.
The Minister recalled that almost all independent rating surveys of fashion schools place NIFT campuses on top of their charts. Gangwar added that the Government of India is presently funding the construction of NIFT campuses at Shillong, Raebareli and Srinagar. Gangwar said that at the behest of his Ministry, NIFT is moving towards greater engagement with handlooms and handicrafts. He said that this linkage of fashion with handloom and handicrafts should be beneficial to both, i.e.
NIFT students will get sensitized to our artistic heritage on one hand and handloom and handicrafts sector will get new ideas, insights and technology on the other. The Minister noted that another important dimension of NIFT is its role towards women’s employment and empowerment, given the fact that almost 80% of its students are girls.
The Members of Parliament highlighted the need to improve the reach of Government schemes to artisans. Citing the huge revenue and export potential of the sector, the MPs called for strengthening of marketing and promotional activities, through advertising and other means. The Minister replied that the Government has already linked handicrafts with tourism, and is pursuing this initiative in earnest.
The Minister said that it is a matter of credit for NIFT that there has not been a single complaint regarding admission this year. The MPs congratulated the Ministry and NIFT for sustaining the world-class quality of NIFT over the years. They also appreciated the collaboration of the institute with 34 reputed fashion institutes across the world. One of the MPs spoke of the need to increase student intakes well.
The Minister thanked members for their valuable suggestions and urged the members to cooperate in the endeavours of the Ministry. He noted with satisfaction that the textiles sector is doing well in exports. Gangwar exhorted the MPs to visit various places across India, to better understand the unique contribution of each place towards the textiles sector. MPs ShriGopal C. Shetty and Prof. Ravindra V. Gaikwad from Lok Sabha and Anand Bhaskar Rapolu from Rajya Sabha attended the meeting held today.
The previous meeting of the Committee was held on 2nd December, 2015 on “Cotton and Skill”, in New Delhi.
Image Courtesy: The Hindu
