Date:08/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/08/stories/2006120802170200.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur

Handicrafts workshops from today

Staff Reporter

Artisans to be brought on to a common platform and enlightened on various schemes

ANANTAPUR: Local-level marketing workshops on handicrafts will be organised at Anantapur, Vizianagaram, Nizamabad and Karimnagar as part of the All-India Handicrafts Week being held from December 8 to 15. The artisans and experts in crafts will be brought on to a common platform during the week and enlightened about various schemes.

Production value

Talking to newspersons here on Thursday, Assistant Director of Handicrafts of the Ministry of Textiles I.H.P. Rao said that the workshops would also focus on marketing, credit, training and designing of crafts to develop the handicrafts sector. There were three lakh handicraft artisans in the State who were producing goods worth Rs.100 crores every year.

Clusters' formation

Under Ambedkar Hasthashilpa Vikas Yojna, the handicraft artisans were being developed in clusters wherever there were more than 50 artisan families. There were 43 such clusters in the State and two in Anantapur district, he said.

In Nimmalakunta village of Dharmavaram mandal, 250 families engaged in leather crafts were being covered under a cluster and 100 mat weavers in Vannampalli of Parigi mandal were being covered under another cluster.

Benefits for artisans

The Government was also implementing pension, insurance and scholarship schemes for the handicraft artisans and giving awards for mastery work.