Parliamentary Consultative Committee of Ministry of Textiles discusses Handicrafts and NIFT

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Parliamentary Consultative Committee of Ministry of Textiles discusses Handicrafts and NIFT

People in all corners of the globe should proudly ask for “Made in India” Handicrafts: this is the dream that the Textiles Minister Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar laid out before the members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of Ministry of Textiles, held at NIFT, Hyderabad on the eve of the inauguration of Make in India Week, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Minister said that artisans by themselves cannot glorify the rich cultural heritage of our country; the combined vision and efforts of all stakeholders, along with government endeavours, is required.

The Textiles Minister gave a brief overview of the initiatives being taken by the government in this direction. He said that a comprehensive National Handicraft Development Programme has been launched which emphasizes integrated approach for holistic development and support to the crafts and artisans. The new approach is built on the key element of empowering artisans by skill upgradation, design development, technology upgradation and supply of raw material, through easily accessible Common Facility Centers at cluster level. Developing and strengthening marketing linkages through various options such as exporters, direct sale, participation in sale expos and e-commerce is another major component of new approach.

Speaking of NIFT, Gangwar said that the premier academic institution in the country in the field of fashion education and research has deftly combined the local and the global as a part of its pedagogy. Through the Crafts Cluster Initiative, NIFT faculty, students and alumni play a proactive role in the growth of traditional handicrafts and handlooms; at the same time, NIFT also collaborates with leading fashion institutions around the globe, through its 34 MoUs, to keep itself abreast of latest global trends and developments. The Minister said that it is a tribute to the academic rigour of NIFT programmes, that almost 3000 industry-ready professionals are delivered by its various campuses and placed with the best names in the fashion industry every year. The minister added that the Government of India is presently funding the construction of NIFT campuses at Shillong, Raebareli and Srinagar.

He said that at the behest of his ministry, NIFT is moving towards greater engagement with handlooms and handicrafts. He said that this linkage of fashion with handloom and handicrafts should be beneficial to both, i.e. NIFT students will get sensitized to our artistic heritage on one hand and handloom and handicrafts sector will get new ideas, insights and technology on the other. The Minister noted that another important dimension of NIFT is its role towards women’s employment and empowerment, given the fact that almost 80% of its students are girls.