Asserting that the country’s handicraft industry is up against ‘significant’ challenges, President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said concerted measures, including easier credit access and product promotion, are needed to boost the sector.
“The handicraft industry in India is highly fragmented and the sector has been facing significant challenges, mainly due to lack of design innovation and technology upgradation, scarcity of raw material, inadequate finance and increased competition from mills and factory-made products,” Mukherjee said at the Shilp Guru and National Awards function.
“To provide a fillip to this sector, it is necessary that we take concerted steps at various levels. These may include facilitation of easier access to credit from banks and other financial institutions and promotion of these products in domestic and foreign markets.” The function was organised to felicitate artisans for their contribution to handicraft. Mukherjee suggested: “Universities, corporate houses, Government departments can contribute by sponsoring and also undertaking research, which results in new and innovative technologies that will enable upgradation of traditional tools and designs of local artisans.”
The President said the plan to set up a Hastakala Academy is a welcome step in this direction, emphasising on the need to revive village handicraft. “We have to revive our village handicraft. If we impart scholastic training from those craft, we can bring about a revolution,” Mukherjee said.