Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. SRINAGAR: The Union Ministry of Textiles has released ₹30.46 lakh under its National Handicrafts Development Programme (NHDP) to support traditional crafts in Kashmir through improved toolkits and skills training. The approved interventions cover hand-knotted carpet weaving, Sozni embroidery, papier-mâché and walnut wood carving.
The Directorate of Handicrafts and Handloom, Kashmir, will implement the programmes. In a press statement issued here today, a departmental spokesman said the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) had considered the Department’s proposal for improved toolkit distribution and skill-based training to promote traditional crafts.
Two two-month Guru-Shishya Hastshilp Prashikshan Programmes have been approved for Kashmir carpet weaving and Sozni embroidery, with a combined allocation of ₹15.01 lakh. The programmes will support the transfer of traditional skills from experienced master artisans, or Gurus, to aspiring artisans, or Shishyas, helping preserve and continue Kashmir’s handicraft heritage.
The training programmes are designed both to upgrade existing skills and to rebuild a pipeline of trained artisans in the two crafts. The allocation covers wage compensation for participating artisans, honoraria for master craftsmen, space rental, training-related equipment and raw-material costs, the spokesman said.
The Ministry has also approved three Improved Toolkits Distribution Programmes for artisans in walnut wood carving, Sozni embroidery and papier-mâché across the Kashmir Division, with a total allocation of ₹15.45 lakh. The initiative will give artisans access to improved tools to enhance work efficiency and productivity and help improve the quality of their products, the spokesman added.
Through these interventions, the Directorate aims to preserve Kashmir’s rich cultural legacy while creating opportunities for the continued growth and development of the handicrafts and handloom sector.
