[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]ARTISTIC ANGORA SHAWL PRODUCTION
(Artistic Angora Shawl Production in Chamba Block of District Tehri Garhwal of Uttarakhand under Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana)
BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
Handicrafts constitute an important segment of the decentralized/unorganized sector of our economy. Originally, started as a part time activity in rural areas, it has now transformed in flourishing economic activity due to significant market demand over the years. Handicrafts have big potential as they hold the key for sustaining not only the existing set of millions of artisans spread over length and breadth of the country, but also for increasingly large number of new entrants in the crafts activity. Presently, handicrafts are contributing substantially in employment generation and export. The Handicraft sector has suffered due to very nature of being in the unorganized sector with additional constraints like lack of education, capital, poor exposure to new technologies, absence of market intelligence and poor institutional framework. In order to overcome these constraints, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana (AHVY) has been introduced wherein the main thrust is on a projectised, need based approach for integrated development of potential handicrafts clusters with participation of the craft persons at all stages of implementation of the scheme with the ultimate objective of their empowerment and hence sustainability.
The scheme envisages a package of support to the cluster of handicraft artisans, which inter-alia includes basic inputs and infrastructure support in addition to capacity enhancement to cater to target markets. While it is an undisputed fact that the Government of India and the State Governments have intervened in meaningful ways that have led to the revival and survival of crafts in the past few decades, in the light of new economic developments of one global unified market, handicrafts sector of India has to be strengthened further to be globally competitive. There is therefore, compelling urgency to fill in critical gaps, which have been taken care of in the newly approved scheme based on cluster approach.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
• To organize the groups of artisans in to self-reliant and user friendly Community Based Enterprises (CBEs) based on the philosophy and principles of self help and cooperation.
• To empower women artisans and non-artisan women members of the community through micro-credit operations and alternative income generation activities.
• To integrate artisan’s community through bonds of solidarity established through women thrift & credit operations.
• To organize artisans clusters into Self Help Groups (SHGs) with a view to enabling them to take up economic activity for sustainable development through a collective mode.
• To empower artisans by making them active entrepreneurs cum primary stake holders in the process of development and bringing them to a visible platform for easy access to domestic and overseas markets.
• To upgrade artisan’s skill through appropriate design and technology intervention to enable them to use quality raw material, tools and equipment to produce value-added items.
• To provide adequate infrastructure support for improved quality and productivity and to enable artisans access to a larger market segment, both domestic and international.
• To ensure effective collective participation of all members involved in production and marketing process for optimal growth in human resource, production, business and income.
COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT
• Developing awareness on self-help and community participative organizations, organizations of self help groups (SHGs) by empowerment of women.
• Organize motivation and awareness camps-cum-trainings on self help and community based enterprises based on homogeneity and affinity factors.
• Organize common work centres at the village/area level for the purpose managing raw material supply, timely wages, marketing, value realization etc.
• Skill up-gradation of artisans.
• Establishment of common facility centre at block/cluster level.
• Product development, design development and product diversification.
• Organize design workshop/product development workshops and seminars.
• Assistance to artisan for margin money/working capital.
• Establishment of emporiums and marketing out-lets.
TARGET AREA AND TARGET GROUPS OF THE PROJECT
16 villages of Chamba Block of District Tehri Garhwal are covered under the project. Approximate 225 artisans are identified from the selected villages of the project area. They are organized in the form of SHGs.
FUNDING AGENCY
The project is funded by the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, New Delhi.
COST OF THE PROJECT
The project was sanctioned by Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) during the year 2007-08. Cost of the project from year 2007-08 to 2010-2011 is as under:
Financial Year Total (Rs.)
2007-2008 90,000.00
2009-2010 20,84,000.00
2010-2011 9,22,000.00
Total 30,96,000.00[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”705,704,703,702,701,700,699,698,697,696,695″ img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][/vc_row]