The Directorate of Handlooms and Handicrafts deserves kudos for going whole hog against the dealers selling counterfeit handmade products. Our handicrafts are our identity. Be it our carpets, pashmina, or paper machie, Kashmir is known for its handicrafts across the globe. However, a few people have brought a bad name to our art and crafts. Their greed has crossed all limits. Selling machine-made products under the guise of Kashmir crafts is not only a crime but a disservice to our motherland. Tourists have faith in us. They repose trust in us when they buy an exclusive Kashmir product. Little did they know that some people were defrauding them? Sensing a crisis, the Directorate of Handlooms and Handicrafts has launched a massive drive to nip the evil in the bud. The government has vowed to protect artisans’ livelihoods and strengthen the authenticity frameworks, and ensure global recognition of Kashmiri crafts. The enforcement wing of the department has started visiting showrooms to check the authenticity of the Kashmiri crafts. Two months ago, the Department of Handicrafts & Handloom issued an ultimatum to erring dealers to remove all machine-made products, largely imports from Turkey and Iran, from their showrooms. The department warned that the showroom owners would be blacklisted and deregistered for unfair trade practices under the relevant sections of law. Under the law, machine-made products are banned from being sold or displayed in Kashmir handicraft showrooms. Any violation and misbranding, including by way of pasting fake QR codes and pulling out the machine-made labels, shall attract relevant clauses/provisions of the Quality Control Act, J&K Registration of Tourist Trade Act, Geographical Indication (GI) Act, as well as the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita. To curb misbranding and promote genuine products, the department has introduced GI-based QR labelling for various crafts at PTQCC, IICT & Quality Control labs. Due to the efforts of the J&K government, 15 handicraft products from Kashmir have been granted a Geographical Indication tag. These include Kani Shawl, Pashmina, Sozni, Paper-Mache, Walnut Wood Carving, Khatamband, Hand Knotted Carpets, Kashmir Namda, Kashmir Gabba, Kashmir Willow Bat, Kashmir Tweed, Crewel, Kashmir Chain Stitch, Shikara, and Wagguv. The GI indication has infused a new lease of life into Kashmir crafts. Hand-made products worth ₹309.62 Cr were exported to various overseas destinations in Q1FY26, up from ₹126.90 Cr in the previous quarter. The department is targeting exports of over ₹1500 Cr in the current FY. Last fiscal, craft products worth ₹733.59 Cr were exported. The export target could be achieved only when fake products are completely banished. The department needs to take more proactive measures to restore the originality of Kashmir crafts and save the artisans from the onslaught. The handicrafts sector provides jobs to thousands of artisans in the old city, villages, and other areas. Their jobs need to be protected. The government needs to create awareness across the destination about the authentic handmade crafts so that customers are not cheated in the name of Kashmir.
Save Kashmir handicrafts
