Ministry of Textiles
MoS Textiles Pabitra Margherita Inaugurates Bunkar and Karigar Utthan Upskilling Programme in Guwahati
New Training Program to Upskill 3627 Artisans and Weavers Across India Launched by Ministry of Textiles
This initiative is dedicated to empower weavers and artisans across the country with new technology and skills: Margherita
Posted On:
27 JUL 2024 6:29PM by PIB Guwahati
In a significant step towards creating a trained workforce in the Handicrafts and Handloom sector and generate employment opportunities, Minister of State for Textiles and External Affairs, Shri Pabitra Margherita, inaugurated the Bunkar and Karigar Utthan Upskilling Programme FY 2024-25 - 100 Clusters in 100 Days today in Guwahati. The event, organised by the Office of Development Commissioner for Handloom and Development Commissioner for Handicraft, Ministry of Textiles, was inaugurated virtually across the country.
Shri Margherita, in his inaugural address, emphasized the importance of preserving India's rich craft heritage while adapting to modern market needs. He stated that this initiative represents a crucial investment in our artisans and handloom workers. By equipping them with advanced skills and knowledge, we are not only preserving our traditional arts but also ensuring that our craft sectors remain competitive and vibrant, he added. Shri Margherita said that the Handloom and Handicraft sector in India has always been very rich and the artisans and weavers are an integral part of the economy and culture of this country.
The minister informed that under the Bunkar and Karigar Utthan Upskilling Programme, 70 clusters in the Handicrafts sector and 30 clusters in the Handloom sector will receive focused upskilling through training programme. He encouraged the artisans and weavers across the country to take the full advantage of this programme and upgrade themselves with more skills and technologies.
Shri U.G. Brahma, Minister, Handloom, Textile & Sericulture, Government of Assam also addressed the attendees, emphasizing the program’s significance for regional development. He said that as large number of people in Assam are associated with weaving, this initiative will definitely benefit them. He also added that the State government has also come up with various flagship schemes in this sector for the betterment of the handloom Sector.
During live interaction with the weavers/artisans from different locations in virtual mode Shri Pabitra Margherita appreciated the weavers and artisans for their works and assured them all support in this sector.
During the event, certificates and toolkits were also distributed to beneficiary weavers and artisans under various components of the National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP).
Smt M Beena, Development Commissioner, Handlooms and Smt Amrit Raj, Development Commissioner, Handicrafts were also present in today’s event.
About the initiative
The "Karigar Uthan Program - 100 Clusters in 100 Days for Upskilling” initiative is a Training and Design Programme under Government of India's '100 Days Action Plan'. As part of the initiative, the Office of Development Commissioner for Handloom and Development Commissioner for Handicraft aims to provide technical and soft skill training to the younger generation simultaneously fulfilling the current demand & design needs of the market.
Under this initiative, 70 clusters in the Handicrafts sector and 30 clusters in the Handloom sector will receive focused upskilling through training programme. In the 70 Handicrafts' clusters covering 70 Districts in 31 States, upskilling of 2100 artisans is proposed through 51 Guru Shishya Hastshilp Prashikshan Program (GSHPP) and 19 Design Development Workshops Design Development Workshops (DDW) programs in 52 different crafts. In the 30 Handloom clusters, upskilling of 1527 handloom workers is proposed through 29 Weavers’ Service Centres (WSC)s in 26 States/UTs.
The primary objective of Guru Shishya Hastshilp Prashikshan Program (GSHPP) is to transfer the traditional craft knowledge from the master craftsperson (Guru) to the younger generation artisan (Shishya) in order to bridge the skill gap & fulfill market demand. The Design Development Workshop on the other hand, aims to develop new designs/prototypes as per present requirements of the handicraft sector using existing skills of artisans.
PG/BM
(Release ID: 2037965)
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