Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 10: Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Baseer Ahmad Khan today visited Indian Institute of Carpet Technology (IICT) and Pashmina Testing Laboratory.
He was accompanied by Mahmood Ahmad Shah, Director, Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir and Director, IICT.
During his visit to IICT, Advisor interacted with the Junior/Senior Craft instructors of Handicrafts and Handloom Department who are undergoing Skill Up-gradation and Capacity Building Training at the Institute. Advisor also interacted with another group of Handloom weavers who are undergoing Skill Up-gradation Training organized by Silk Technical Services Centre (STSC), Central Silk Board, Jammu in association with IICT to upgrade their skill and give them necessary inputs on designing and other related subjects.
Speaking on the occasion, Advisor said that the skill development is important for exposing the artisans to the newer techniques and adopting latest designs to cater to the new market trends. He said that weavers should be made aware of the blending technique of pashmina and silk.
Advisor was informed that the introduction of Jacquard and Dobby techniques will be beneficial for the weavers and will be helpful to modify the designs for better returns and customer satisfaction.
While reviewing the progress of Testing, Certification and Labelling of Hand-knotted Carpets under Geographical Indication of Goods Act, the Advisor was informed that orders for testing equipments and other related items have already been placed by the Institute and Development of Cloud Based QR Code Management System is also in progress.
It is pertinent to mention here that IICT shall be introducing QR Code mechanism, first of its kind in the Country, for the purpose of Testing and Certification of Hand-knotted Carpets produced in Kashmir under Geographical Indication of Goods Act 1999. This QR Code along with ‘GI’ logo shall be printed on a unique destructible label. By virtue of this QR Code mechanism, the customer would be able to check and verify requisite details of carpet with the help of Smart Phone before purchasing the same just to confirm its genuineness/authenticity along with other related parameters of carpets.
Advisor said that the QR code will go a long way in checking the machine made and fake goods that are being sold in the name of Kashmir craft. He said that customer satisfaction should be the motive of the department and every effort should be made so that only genuine craft is sold.
During his visit, Advisor was briefed about its overall working which was recently transferred to Handicrafts and Handloom Department (Kashmir), Advisor was given demonstration on functioning of different equipments of the centre.
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