Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 29: Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture, Raman Bhalla, today inaugurated 4-day Appropriate Technology Exhibition at Kala Kendra, organized by Weavers’ Service Centre at Srinagar of Union Ministry for Textiles.
Commissioner/Secretary Industries and Commerce, Shantmanu, Director Industries and Commerce, Gulzar Ahmed Qureshi, Additional Development Commissioner, Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles M C Gupta, Additional Secretary, J&K Art Cultural and Languages Savita Bakshi, President Jammu Province Handloom Weaving Industrial Cooperative Societies Rakesh Sharma besides a large number of industrialists and Handloom weavers were present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Bhalla exhorted upon the weavers and other associated with this sector to derive full benefits from the exhibition and also update their technological skill and knowledge for the overall benefit of the textile sector. He apprised of various schemes undertaken by the Central and State Governments for the benefit of weavers across the State.
Minister asked the weavers and unemployed youth to avail optimum benefits of Government schemes. He called for a change in the mind set of the unemployed youth to become job providers instead of job seekers. He said that holding of such exhibitions at various places of the State would encourage the artisans and weavers to start self employment ventures. He said such events also help sale of handicraft products.
Mr. Bhalla asked to formulate a yearly calendar for organizing Handloom and Handicrafts Expos regularly at different parts of the state. He said Government has established a quality control laboratory in the Craft Development Institute to check quality of handicrafts. He said handloom and handicrafts are the reliable cottage industries which provide livelihood to a large chunk of population in the state. He asked the officers of Handloom and Handicrafts Departments to provide artisan credit cards to the weavers to facilitate them avail hassle free loan facility from the Banking Institutions.
Earlier, Bhalla and other dignitaries inspected the stalls set up in the exhibition displaying products manufactured by the Weavers Service Centre at the venue.
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