State-Level Handicraft Exhibition Inaugurated; 120 Artisans From 23 Dists Participate

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Minister Rita Sahu inaugurated the State-level Handicraft Exhibition at IDCO Exhibition Ground, Unit-III, Bhubaneswar today.

While Minister Sahu was the Chief Guest, Handicrafts Director Pranati Chotray, Utkalika MD Kalyani Patnaik, and HT&H Dept Special Secretary Saroj Kumar Patel graced the occasion as Guest of Honour. Padmashree Binod Maharana was felicitated on this occasion.

To provide a platform for marketing the products of the clusters and individual artisans, an exclusive State level Handicraft exhibition is organized by the Directorate of Handicrafts at IDCO Exhibition Ground, Unit-III, Bhubaneswar, to facilitate the artisans/ SHGs/ Handicrafts Cooperative societies to display and sell their products. Around 120 handicraft artisans are participating in the exhibition from 23 districts such as Keonjhar, Jajpur, Balasore, Baragarh, Khurdha, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal, Puri, Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Nabarangapur, Ganjam, Bhadrak, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Boudh, Gajapati, Jagatsinghpur, Nuapara and Jharsuguda. It is expected to attain a business turnover of Rs. 100.00 lakhs during this event.

The craftsmanship of Odisha has its specific identity. 51 different crafts have been approved by the Government of Odisha and practised by more than 1.60 lakh artisans in varied degrees and are dispersed throughout the State. The State has got best craftsmanship with 193 artisans honoured with National level Awards including 5 nos of Padma Awards and 13 nos of Shilpi Gurus. Besides, 342 nos of artisans have been conferred with State level Awards.

The government of Odisha in the Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Department is providing promotional support for the growth of the handicraft sector including marker assistance by organizing exhibitions. Various need-based interventions are provided to the individuals, SHGs, cooperative Societies and apex bodies for capacity building, skill up-gradation training, supply of improved tools and equipment, providing bank linkage, infrastructure development, product designing and diversification, marketing assistance to participate in different exhibitions etc. To produce market-oriented products, design development programmes engaging designers from inside and outside the State are conducted in clusters to create a wide range of products. Steps have been taken for online Marketing of handicraft products.