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| Handicraft workers and artisans hold protest rally in support of their demands | | | S Tahir-ul Haq
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Nov 12: Kashmir Handicraft Workers and Artisans Union held a protest rally here today and urged the state government to address their long pending grievances at the earliest.
The union president Nisar Ahmad while addressing the rally highlighted the plight of the handicraft workers and artisans whose units suffered heavy losses due to the last year's devastating floods.
"In the rehabilitation programme some sections have received financial aid to restart their business units, the poor handicraft workers and artisans have been conveniently ignored. The interest subsidy on loans advanced to this poor working class has also not been released till date," said Nisar.
He said that in addition the government also did not fulfill its commitment to raise the amount of loan advanced under artisans' credit card scheme from Rs. 90,000 to Rs. 1, 50,000. He impressed upon the government to fulfill its commitment and come out with a comprehensive relief package for the handicraft works and artisans of Kashmir.
Needless to say lakhs of families in Kashmir valley especially in Srinagar city depend on handicraft industry. Moreover the Kashmiri handicrafts are a symbol of Kashmir's identity and culture, the union president said.
Nisar hoped that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who is well acquainted with the pitiable conditions of this under privileged section will consider demands sympathetically and set apart some considerable amount from the Prime Minister's package for rehabilitation of this worst hit sector.
Meanwhile many workers complained that despite the fact that handicraft is a pivotal source of revenue generation of Jammu & Kashmir, which is unique in terms of design, cost and quality of products and thus provides a competitive advantage on other national and international players of handicrafts market.
However the industry needs to explore and identify various opportunities and challenges ahead to compete at national as well as international level markets, the workers said.
Bashir Ahmad, a handicraft worker told Early Times that handicraft industry need existence to develop and implement strategies in order to explore and develop the hidden agenda thereby adding the value to socio-economic contribution of handicraft industry to the state.
He said the state government should train and develop new and existing skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled manpower in order to update them for flexible business environment in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pertinently the Kashmir valley is recognized throughout the world as far as the arts and crafts as well its scenic beauty and bracing climate is concerned, he added. |
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