- These projects were announced just two months back during the visit of MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar to J&K
- Focus on increasing carpet exports from 600 Crore to 6000 Crore and to create employment opportunities.
- PMKVY RPL project aims at upskilling 10,900 artisans and weavers of Jammu & Kashmir
NE NEWS SERVICE
JAMMU & KASHMIR, NOV 29
Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched two pilot projects with a view to revive and catalyze the traditional Namda Craft and upskill the Artisans and Weavers of Kashmir on Saturday.
The projects are Revival of Namda craft of Kashmir as a special pilot project under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 3.0 and Upskilling of artisans and weavers of Kashmir under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), a component of PMKVY. The pilot projects have been launched by Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
The objective of these projects is to boost and preserve the traditional Namda craft of Kashmir and upskill the local weavers and artisans to enhance their productivity through RPL assessment and certification. Namda craft is a rug made of sheep wool through felting technique instead of normal weaving process. The Namda project will benefit 2 thousand 250 people of 30 Namda Clusters from 6 districts of Kashmir including Srinagar, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Budgam and Anantnag while RPL initiative targets to upskill 10 thousand 900 artisans and weavers.
The Namda project will be an industry-based training program with beneficiaries involved in Namda Crafts Production who will contribute towards preserving and reviving the rich heritage associated with Namda craft in Kashmir. This will also improve the access of existing artisans of Namda crafts cluster in Kashmir and will improve their prospects of employability.
Launching the initiative, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that India has a rich heritage and is home to several traditional art forms. He said, it is the vision Government to revive and promote traditional and heritage skills and to give them support to make them economically sustainable.
He further added, “The programme will also focus on continuously skilling, upskilling and reskilling local youth to create a ladder of career progression and make them strong pillars of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. He further added that the Modi government is invested in increasing export and making artisans financially independent by boosting the traditional art. “The Government is working with a laser focus towards J&K’s development and is delivering on all promises” said Rajeev Chandrasekhar. He appreciated the efforts of officials at MSDE, National Skill Development Corporation and Sector Skill Councils as this custom designed programme was conceptualised, processed and sanctioned within a record time of just 2 months. The custom designed programme is symbolic of the New Approsch which the Government is mulling for its skill development programme. It is based on the principle of continuous skilling/upskilling/re-skilling, employment as an assured outcome, industry as an important stakeholder in skill training ecosystem,
Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said “Our team at the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is working with new zeal on this special project under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has designed a short-term training curriculum to preserve Namda and I am confident that we will not only be able to revive this endangered craft, but also make it economically viable and generate jobs to help local artisans. The ministry is committed to upskilling the weavers and artisans’ clusters of Jammu and Kashmir. This project is an endeavour to uplift the tribal community and preserve the heritage and we will ensure that it is being implemented diligently. I wish all the stakeholders, including teachers, students and industry partners, all the very best.”
