Government of Jharkhand, in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), on Wednesday launched the handloom, textile and handicraft trade fair, JHARTEX, to promote the textile, handloom and handicraft sector of the nation and highlight the artisans' talent and cultural diversity.
As part of the State Foundation Day celebrations, the fair is scheduled to go on between November 4 and 8.
Inaugurating the handicraft fair this Wednesday, Education Minister Neera Yadav stated, "Being a tribal State, Jharkhand is quite famous for artistic handicrafts. JHARTEX can be a great platform for the rural artisans and weavers to showcase their products and talents. I also commend efforts from Jharcraft for assisting the rural artisans with self-employment."
"The textiles industry has made a major contribution to the national economy in terms of direct and indirect employment generation and net foreign exchange earnings. Jharkhand is known for its Tasar silk across India and now with the focus on exports, it has made a mark globally," said Tarun Daga, CII and Managing Director, Tinplate Company of India ltd.
He added, "CII and Jharkhand Government formed a joint taskforce back in 2013 with the objective to promote Jharkhand as a brand. To highlight the immense potential of the State in textile and handloom sector and to promote the artisans of Jharkhand, the State Govt in collaboration with CII is organising JHARTEX."
Around 120 exhibitors from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, West Bengal, Haryana, Orissa, Nagpur, lucknow, Varanasi and many more are participating in the exhibition.
Talking about the fair, Jharcraft MD AT Mishra, stated, "Foundation Day of Jharkhand could not be celebrated in a better way than this. JHARTEX showcases the rich history and artisan diversity of each state of the country in areas of textile, handloom and handicraft and gives a platform to the rural artisan and weavers to showcase their product."
He added, "The Shilpagram platform here at JHARTEX provides a platform for display of wide range of handicraft products that seem to be endangered in the foreseeable future. One could also have a glimpse of women and men demonstration how these artefacts are created."