STATE TIMES NEWS
LEH: Commemorating the Swadeshi Movement of 1905, India has been celebrating the 7th of August as the National Handloom Day since the year 2015. This year Ladakh lends momentum to the celebrations on this day of national significance where the Department of Industries and Commerce, UT Ladakh has organised a week long exhibition in Kargil and Leh districts. Lt. Governor Ladakh, R.K Mathur inaugurated the exhibition in the Leh market, he visited all stalls and interacted with the participants. The exhibition has provided platform to over 30 participants in Leh and 25 in Kargil where local artisans, crafts persons and entrepreneurs are showcasing their products. Addressing the inaugural event, Lt. Governor Mathur expressed his appreciation for the Department of Industries and Commerce for organising multiple exhibitions, workshops and events in their endeavour towards taking Ladakh’s handloom industry to newer heights.
He stated that handloom has been an integral part of Ladakhi tradition and with the right handholding and encouragement, this sector holds great economic potential to make Ladakh prosper. Almost 70-80% of this sector witness involvement from women, most of them are spinning and weaving at their homes most part of the year. LG Mathur stated that providing the required propulsion to this sector would provide more encouragement to the women of Ladakh to become self reliant and financially independent.
Advisor Ladakh, Umang Narula congratulated the Industries and Commerce Department for holding the exhibition. He said that the Handloom has been an intrinsic part of the heritage and culture of Ladakh. He said that the world-famous pashmina has its roots in Ladakh and the new generation is moving away from this kind of livelihood option to promote it must be explored.
Advisor Narula further added that UT Administration has been focusing on upskilling design, skill improvement and providing various marketing opportunities.
He also appealed to the artisans to take benefit from various schemes like the Weaver Mudra scheme and others. He emphasized on creating awareness and empowering the artisans so that they are in a position to maximize their income. Executive Councillor, Handloom, Ghulam Mehdi Ashoor expressed gratitude to the UT Administration and added that this kind of exhibition will provide opportunities to the artisans to earn their livelihood through Handicraft and Handlooms sectors. He expressed hope that the UT administration will continue providing support to encourage the artisans and also expressed his appreciation to the Department for proving marketing opportunities in Delhi for the local artisans. Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Saugat Biswas added that the Department is exploring avenues to uplift the Handicraft & Handloom sector of Ladakh. He added that special emphasis is being given to products such as Pashmina, Yak wool, Camel wool etc. Improvement in the complete value and supply chain is another major focus of the Department. He informed that the process of Geographical Indicator (GI) tagging for pashmina is in it’s completion stage. Secretary Biswas also informed that the Department is focussing on branding and advertising of the produce of Ladakh, which is presently not known to the mainland.
Highlighting the initiatives, Biswas added that they have already tied up with national-level institutions such as National Institute for Fashion Technology, NID Ahmedabad, Central Leather Research Institute, Wool Research Association and others for establishing high-quality production, storage, packaging, etc.
Director, Industries and Commerce Department, Ladakh, Moses Kunzang presented the vote of thanks and added that UT Ladakh is celebrating Handlooms Day for the first time both in Leh and Kargil districts and informed of the various training programmes being carried out by the Department in different villages of Ladakh.