In view of the growing popularity of a wide range of traditional handicrafts of Uttar Pradesh after the launch of One District One Product (ODOP) scheme, the Uttar Pradesh government is building the first Handicrafts Park in Sector 29 of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).
A total of 76 industrialists have acquired land at the park spread over an area of 50 acres to set up their factories at the cost of Rs 403 crore. The factories being set up at the park will provide permanent employment to more than 22,000 people.
“The maiden Handicrafts Park of UP will feature workshops, factories and outlets for showcasing and selling a wide range of handicrafts of the state to the domestic and global visitors, aiming at conserving the traditional crafts, providing employment to thousands of artisans of the state and boosting the handicrafts sector’s contribution to the state’s economy. The park will showcase their craftsmanship to the world,” a government spokesman said on Thursday.
The official further said that while on one hand, the park would enable people to get all famous handicrafts of UP under the same roof and on the other, it will provide a huge market for these products, boosting UP’s handicrafts business and also facilitate export of handicrafts to different countries of the world.
“People living in Delhi and Noida will also be able to easily find handicrafts of Lucknow, Meerut, Bareilly, Firozabad, Agra, Varanasi, Chandauli, Gorakhpur, Allahabad, Pratapgarh, Azamgarh, Mirzapur and Jhansi and Lalitpur in this park,” he said.
Prominent among the 76 investors at the park are Vikas Exports, which deals in wood, metal and marble works. The firm has been allotted 5,000 square metre land to set up its venture. Similarly, land has been allotted to The Silk Factory, Rateria Exports, Narayan Creation, Wazir Chand & Co, Dux India Industries Pvt Ltd, Dawar Footwear Industries and Specialist Home Concepts.
“This park, to be set up near Jewar airport, will feature handicrafts from all over the country and will soon become the most prominent place for artisans and craftsmen. The park will be similar to the Hunar Haat organised in Delhi, which is attended by over 600 artisans and craftsmen from across states and Union Territories displaying indigenous products. People buy these products to decorate their homes and for other purposes,” the official said.