No proposal to close down National Craft Museum, says Govt

Textile Ministry today said that there is no proposal to close down the National Craft Museum for setting up Hastakala Academy at Pragati Maidan in Delhi.
"The Government of India is promoting the activities of National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum. There is no proposal whatsoever to close down the Museum," a Textile Ministry release said.
The release said that it is a myth that National Crafts Museum at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, may be closed to make way for Government-run Hastakala Academy.
The reality is that the Hastakala Academy would be set up at the Crafts Museum premises, without dismantling any of the Museum galleries and without disturbing Museum activities, it said.

Further, establishment of the Hastakala Academy in the same premises will create a natural synergy between the activities of the Crafts Museum and the Hastakala Academy, it added.
The release came after some sections of the media have been reporting that the National Crafts Museum may be closed down.

The release said that this relates to the interview of Dr Ruchira Ghosh, the outgoing Consultant of the Museum.
The ministry further said that the statement made by Dr Ruchira Ghosh, whose tenure as Consultant and Chairperson (CoA) of the Museum has ended, is misleading and not based on facts and there is no proposal whatsoever to close down the Crafts Museum.

The Hastakala Academy is being set up for promotion of handmade products, as per the announcement made in Union Budget 2014-15.