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| Handicraft artisans bearing brunt of lockdowns | | Govt fails to create awareness programmes | | S TAHIR-UL HAQ
EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, Nov 2: The Handicraft artisans are bearing the brunt as their business got affected due to lockdowns in Kashmir and at the same time maximum people associated with it are lacking raw material during the present crisis. According to sources, there are some artisans that are lacking raw material due to which maximum people associated with this industry thinks to close down their business as that looms function during challenging situations.It is not only the artisans but other people that are associated with the handicraft industry who think of some other business, as the government has failed to give proper attention and explore this industry at large, source told Early Times.
They said that from one side the government is making tall claims about its promotion while from the other end this business has lost its charm. We used to sell our products in every nook and corner of the world.
According to them, handicrafts activities occupy an important position in the economic structure of the state. In the absence of large scale industries of the handicrafts sector, various cross sections of the society demand that employment units should be generated in the union territory JK.
Problems did not end here as there are a large number of households in the rural areas who are below poverty line, they were not covered under Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) due to limited repayment capacity, these rural households cannot take benefit of fully loan-based schemes offered by some of the housing finance institutions, sources informed.
Sources said that as a rich tradition of handicrafts in Kashmir has no parallels in other parts of the country and not only that but it could have also provided us a great opportunity of employment, by which our day today needs, may have been fulfilled.
A group of artisans said that, handicraft department should create such awareness programs which could be beneficial for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and need is to introduction of part credit, part subsidy based schemes that will be an important step in creating new units of industries for the betterment of the people especially those who are associated with the industry.
It was the peak time to produce goods, which could reach the European and other markets of the world, but maximum suppliers have closed their units and they have adopted other businesses due to this pandemic, sources added. |
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