Rs 1,000 crore to be invested in handloom, handicraft sector in 5 years: Official

Noida: An investment of Rs 1,000 crore is expected in the handloom and handicraft sector over the next four to five years, a senior official of the Union Textiles Ministry said on Thursday.

Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Amrit Raj said there are around 35 lakh artisans across the country and the government wants to do much more for the sector.

She made the remarks during a visit to 'HGH India', a bi-annual trade show for home, gifts, and houseware, at the India Expo Mart and Centre in Greater Noida.

"In the DC Handicrafts office, we are spending around Rs 300 crore a year on the sector. It's a huge sector. Though we try to give end-to-end support, we also try to focus more on the marketing component and the design innovation component because the artisans are skilled and they know their job," Raj said.

"The only challenge is how to make it more market-friendly, like identifying the changing trends and changing needs of today's consumers. So, average that out, something like another Rs 1,000 crore in the next four to five years (is expected to be invested in the sector)," she said.

The official said the central government has been working on the design aspect of the handloom and the handcrafted heritage of India.

"We have been acting as a bridge between the new design enthusiasts and the master creators, we've been investing in training the artisans further and helping them market their products better.

"There is so much art and age-old talent that our artisans hold. We are now innovating the age-old designs to match up to an evolving consumer and the newer trends," she said.

More than 100 new exhibitors, including those from Italy and Turkey as well as several first-times from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Jodhpur, Indore, Chennai, Kochi, and the Northeastern states among other places, are taking part in the trade show, according to an official statement.