Chief Minister Raman Singh on Tuesday said that craftsmen have kept alive thousands of years of art alive with their stunning works.

He was inaugurating 'Jagaar-2018' organised by the Chhattisgarh Handicrafts Board in the capital. The exhibition will be held till February 7 from 11  am to 9 pm.

The Chief Minister also sanctioned a rest house for craftsmen at a cost of Rs  20 lakh in memory of Padmasree awardee craftsman late  Jayadev Baghel.

The guest house will be allocated to craftsmen free of cost.

Jaydev Patel hailed from Kondagaon and became world famous for 'Bellmetal' craft. Chhattisgarh Assembly Speaker Gaurishankar Agrawal presided over the function.

 About 200 craftsmen from 14 states- Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Jammu-Kashmir,  Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal are displaying their handicrafts at the exhibition.

Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on development of handloom and handicrafts in the entire country. There is 60 per cent increase in the sales of handloom fabrics. About 42 lakh  employees are associated with handloom industry.

Assembly Speaker Gaurishankar Agrawal said that craftsmen gave a distinct identity to Chhattisgarh in the entire world and the nation.

He stressed upon the need for associating the new generation with handloom and handicrafts sector.

later, the Chief Minister felicitated five craftsmen with State-level awards.