The Handicraft and Cottage Industry Department will soon seek Rs 10 crore from the Union Ministry of Textiles to develop stone craving village Sukhuapada at lalitagiri in Jajpur district as a ‘Craft Village’.
Handicraft and Cottage Industry Director Sitikanta Sarangi while on a site visit along with senior officials told this recently.
“last year, we had entrusted Utkalika to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) on stone carvings of Sukhupada and recently, Satya Ranjan Sahoo, the Managing Director of Utkalika, submitted the DPR before us. We will soon send the DPR to the Union Ministry of Textiles to get Rs 10 crore financial assistance to develop Sukhuapada as a model crafts village,” he said. The Ministry is providing financial assistance of Rs 10 crore under infrastructure and technology development scheme for promotion of crafts and tourism.
The proposed craft villages would offer opportunity to tourists to see the manufacturing of stone items and buy from crafts persons directly. This would help sculptors get good price for their products, added Sarangi.
Sukhuapada would be the second “Craft Village” in the State under the Union Government’s craft village scheme.
A few years back, the Union Ministry of Textiles had granted first installment of Rs 6 crore out of Rs 10 crore to develop Raghurajpur in Puri district as a craft village, Sarangi informed.
The Government would build proper roads, training centers, work-sheds and houses for craft persons and other infrastructure in the proposed craft villages soon, sources said.