Govt to organise exhibitions to promote handlooms, handicrafts

Government has decided to organise regular exhibitions or sale festivals in large cities in different parts of the country to provide regular marketing facilities for promotion of handloom and handicraft products.
"To begin with, three venues have been identified in the national capital, where exhibitions/sale festivals will be organised round the year on the pattern of those in Dilli Haat.
"Such events will be held in the recently developed premises of Crafts Museum, the Handloom Complex at Janpath, and the air-conditioned hall inside Pragati Maidan. This shall be followed by similar initiatives in other cities of the country, in due course," Textiles Ministry said today.

The events organised at Delhi shall be for 10-15 days, at intervals of about 5-7 days. The events at Crafts Museum would be led by handicraft sector, while those at the other two venues would be led by handloom sector.
However, products belonging to both categories shall be made available at all the venues, along with state-specific or regional cuisine and cultural shows.
The events will be planned in consultation with states and finalised by Development Commissioner (Handlooms) or Development Commissioner (Handicrafts). Funding would be done out of the existing schemes of the Ministry of Textiles being implemented by DC (Handlooms) and DC (Handicrafts).

Dissemination of publicity material to tour operators and hotels would be the responsibility of Ministry of Tourism. Ministry of Culture would organize cultural shows during the events, with the assistance of state governments.
Accommodation and transportation at reasonable costs for weavers/artisans and performers of cultural shows would be arranged by DC (Handlooms) and DC (Handicrafts). Permanent facilities would be created in Janpath Complex and Crafts Museum for cultural performances.
Similar initiatives as in Delhi would be taken up in other cities of the country. Cities shall be identified by matching locations where tourism projects have been sanctioned by the states, with identified handicraft/handloom clusters.