Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav has said that "Hunar Haat" has given national and international recognition to the traditional skills of artisans and craftsmen from small towns and remote areas of the country.

Inaugurating the 35^th  edition of “Hunar Haat” at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi today, Shri Yadav said that every region and every section of the society of the country has unique talent of art and craftsmanship. This talent needs to be promoted and “Hunar Haat” is playing an important role in this regard.

Shri Yadav said that “Hunar Haat” is a “Sangam of Culture, Craft and Creativity”. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s inspiration and Union Minority Affairs Minister Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi’s dedication has ensured ample national and international opportunities to indigenous products of Indian artisans and craftsmen, he added.

The Minister said that “Hunar Haat” has provided financial opportunities to artisans and craftsmen by including them into the mainstream development process.

On the occasion, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi said that "Hunar Haat" has given new energy and encouragement to Indian culture, art and soul of the country alive.

Smt. Lekhi said that amid the Corona challenges, "Hunar Haat" has provided employment opportunities to artisans and craftsmen and it has proved to be helpful in promoting the talent of the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minority Affairs Minister Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that “Hunar Haat” is a “Perfect Platform of Protection, Preservation, Promotion” of Indian legacy of art and craft. The “Hunar Haat” has proved a “powerful perfect platform” of “3Vs”- “Vishwakarma Virasat Ka Vikas”. The Government has not only protected the country’s legacy of art and craftsmanship, it has also provided new energy and market and opportunities to indigenous products, he said.

Shri Naqvi stated that more than 7 lakh 50 thousand artisans, craftsmen and people associated with them have been provided employment and self-employment opportunities through “Hunar Haat” in the last about 6 years. More than 40 per cent of them are women artisans.

Former Union Minister and MP Dr. Harsh Vardhan, MPs Shri Manoj Tiwari and Shri Parvesh Sahib Singh graced the occasion as Chief Guests.

Over 700 artisans and craftsmen from more than 30 States/Union Territories are participating in this 14-day “Hunar Haat” being organised from today till January 05, 2022.

Adequate and necessary arrangements have been done at the “Hunar Haat”  to ensure health, hygiene and safety. Wearing mask is mandatory for entry in the “Hunar Haat”.  Masks will also be provided to the visitors free of cost. More than 350 cleaning workers and more than 200 security people are deployed to maintain hygiene, cleanliness and security in the entire campus of Hunar Haat. A separate parking space has been arranged near the venue which is being managed by a team of 50 people. Three teams of total 40 people are engaged in management of Vishwakarma Vatika, Mera Ganv Mera Desh and Bawarchikhana sections of Hunar Haat. Continuous monitoring is also being done with CCTV cameras and drone cameras. All measures have been taken to avoid any inconvenience to the visitors.

Exquisite and elegant indigenous handmade products from more than 30 States and Union Territories including Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Ladakh, Jammu-Kashmir, Punjab, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Manipur, Goa, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Chandigarh, Haryana are available. Traditional dishes from different regions of the country are also available at this “Hunar Haat”.

Various cultural and musical programmes by renowned artists such as Pankaj Udhaas, Altaf Raja, Daler Mehndi, Suresh Wadekar, Sudesh Bhonsle, Kavita Krishnamurti, Amit Kumar, Manoj Tiwari, Pawan Singh, Bhoomi Trivedi, Mohit Khanna, Jasvir Jassi, Priya Malik, Ahsan Qureshi, Rekha Raj and live performance of historic serial “Mahabharat” by renowned actors Puneet Issar, Gufi Paintal and others; traditional circus are major attraction of the “Hunar Haat”.  All the major cultural programmes will be held after December 31, 2021.

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N. Ao/(MoMA release)