The Rs100-crore mega handloom cluster, whose foundation stone will be laid by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee during his two-day visit to Jharkhand, has a special association with him. The cluster and a weavers’ service centre in Ranchi were announced by Mukherjee in March 2012 in his last Budget speech as the country’s Finance minister.
“The mega cluster is expected to benefit around 1 lakh weavers, not only from Godda but from all six districts of Santhal Pargana. Some 25,000 looms will be running here, with three persons to a loom. The project will also provide direct and indirect employment to a large number of families in ancillary works like textile dyeing, printing, transport, and other allied activities,” said Dhirendra Kumar, the managing director of Jharcraft, State handloom and handicraft body in-charge of the cluster.
The foundation-laying ceremony will also be attended by the Governor, the Minister of State for Textiles, secretary of the ministry and the Development Commissioner, Handlooms, besides Godda MP Nishikant Dubey and a host of district officials. “The mega handloom cluster will integrate all the components of silk-production, including technical support, value addition, supply of yarn and other raw-materials, credit, market development, design, skill development and infrastructure to promote holistic development of the sector,” he added. It will be in Bhaghaiya, known for its unique silk fabrics, and will provide an international market to Bhaghaiya’s silk weavers under the Jharcraft umbrella. In the first phase, Godda, Dumka and Deoghar will be covered.
The second phase will cover the remaining districts of Pakur, Sahebganj and Jamtara. “An amount of Rs70 crore has been granted by the Government of India, while the remaining Rs30 crore will be borne by the state government and stakeholders. Weavers will bear 10 percent. We expect the cluster to be fully functional in five years, and generate revenue of roughly Rs1,000 crore per year,” Kumar said.
Tribal art gifts for President pranab
Jharkhand:Jharcraft has prepared a set of exclusively-designed Dokra artefacts and a range of Jharkhand’s well-known tribal paintings including Sohrai, Jadopatia, Paitkar and Pickuli as gifts for the President of India. According to Jharcraft MD Dhirendra Kumar, “Some specimens of works of art in Dokra and tribal paintings like Sohrai and Paitkar have been sent to the Raj Bhawan for selection. Once the pieces are chosen for gifting to the President, they will inform us accordingly.”