The State Government has approved Rs 83.59 lakh for implementation of ‘Bastar Handicrafts Development Project’ in Taragaon-Bhanpuri villages under Bastar Development Block of Chhattisgarh.
Tribal and Scheduled Caste Development Department Minister Kedar Kashyap had made a proposal for the project in this regard, officials informed.
Notably, as many as 119 cottage industry units were established in Chhattisgarh involving an estimated cost of Rs 1.78 crore under Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) during 2015-16, officials stated.
The project in Chhattisgarh is being run by Chhattisgarh Khadi and Gramodhyog Board.
Notably, Chhattisgarh had 7,586 persons involved in manufacture of Khadi products as on March 31, 2015, officials said.
Out of the 7,586 persons, there were 6502 spinners and 1084 weavers, according to the data released by the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), officials stated.
Notably, the Chhattisgarh Khadi and Village Industries Board has been churning out trained youngsters through its various training programmes from rural areas with complete knowledge of availability of raw material, marketing and financial management to run their units , officials stated.
Beneficiaries of this scheme also have easy access to bank loans. The Board provided self-employment training to 73 youth from rural pockets of the State during 2014-15 under its Artisan Training Scheme.
Nearly Rs 14.84 lakh has been spent on this training in the programme.
Board officials informed that under this scheme, youngsters of rural areas are provided training in various trades for self-employment.
It may be recalled that the Chhattisgarh Government has also established an Apparel Training & Designing Centre each in Bilaspur, Raipur, Bhilai and Rajnandgaon, officials stated.