Imphal: Union Minister of State for Textiles, Darshana Vikram Jardosh on Tuesday said that Manipur needs to focus on large scale production of handloom and handicraft products so that the products can be exported outside the state.
The Union minister who arrived in Imphal on Monday on a three-day visit in the state inaugurated an exhibition of the handloom and handicraft products in Imphal’s City Convention Centre today.
She also launched awareness under the National Handloom and Handicraft Development Programme at the same venue.
Addressing the occasion, the Union minister said that handloom and handicraft products are very popular not only in other states of the country but also in other countries.
Manipur ranks the fourth position in terms of the number of looms in the country. It has more than 2.8 lakhs looms comprising fly shuttle, throw shuttle and loin-looms with a weaver population of more than 4.62 lakhs which is 2nd position among the states, according to latest National Handloom Census.
“Manipur should focus on enhancing the production scope. It will not only increase the income of the weavers and artisans but also the generation of employment,” she said.
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“The state may be focused on the export of the three handloom products which had already got the GI tags as these products have high demand outside the state”, the Union minister also said.
“The production scale can be pushed up by using modern machines and techniques. Weavers can avail the benefits of buying the machines and equipment at low cost from the various schemes being implemented by the Central government”, she added.
Darshana then informed that Centre’s ‘One District, One Products’ was launched with an objective for expansion of the market for the weavers and artisans to different parts of the country and target for exports.
The weavers and artisans of the state should avail the benefits of the various schemes under this project to widen the production scope, she said.
The designs and finishing of the handlooms produced by the weavers of the state are of excellent quality and it will be liked by customers across the country and other parts of the globe, she further said.
She then urged the weavers and artisans to avail the benefits of such schemes and programmes of the government to widen their scope and further enhance their products to promote at the larger platform.
She further urged the weavers and artisans to consult officials and experts of the concerned department and ministry to enhance the scope of production.
NNN
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