Jammu and Kashmir is steadily expanding the institutional and market ecosystem for traditional crafts. The government is focusing on upgrading laboratories development of craft villages. Pashmina Testing & Quality Certification Centre has been upgraded with five advanced equipment categories, including a Projection Microscope, OFDA-4000, two High-Resolution Digital Microscopes and a Scanning Electron Microscope. The enhanced infrastructure has increased testing capacity nearly three-fold, reducing the waitlist by 40 per cent to 30–45 days. What has a new dimension to the whole process is the growing distinction in quality assurance and intellectual-property protection. Of the 63 crafts registered under GI, 39 are from Kashmir and 24 from Jammu. A total of 97,178 GI labels have so far been issued. If that is not enough, the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology, Srinagar, has GI-tagged and labelled 22,500 carpets using QR-code technology, enabling enhanced authentication and traceability of the products. Department of Handicrafts and Handlooms is pursuing further expansion of the GI portfolio, with six new crafts proposed for GI registration in Kashmir, including Copperware and Wagguv reed mats, while 10 new dossiers for Jammu crafts, including Dogri Suit and Palm Leaf Craft, are under evaluation. Jammu and Kashmir government is also setting up Sonpah Craft Village in Budgam for ₹10 crore. Similarly, in Jammu division, three Common Facility Centres for bamboo product diversification and agarbatti manufacturing have also been completed at Sallan, Sumb and Billawar, at project costs of ₹2.87 crore, ₹3.42 crore and ₹3.39 crore respectively. Jammu and Kashmir government also deserves kudos for waking up to the plight of the artisans. Department of Handicrafts and Handloom, Kashmir, is actively promoting the Credit Card Scheme for artisans and weavers. Under the scheme, the beneficiaries can avail credit support of up to ₹2 lakh, backed by 7 per cent interest subvention for five years. During the current financial year, 2,750 cases have been sponsored. An amount of ₹868.60 lakh has been disbursed. The government has analysed 1,63,875 artisans in Kashmir and 34,520 in Jammu for credit coverage. While around 56 per cent have been covered under credit schemes, the remaining 44 per cent have been identified for focused financial onboarding. The government’s measures are welcome. Yet these are not enough. The government must introduce a new scheme so that our artisans become ‘atmanirbhar ‘. If artisans can produce world-class products for exporters and get peanuts, why not give them a chance to do direct business? Let the government use an e-marketplace to encourage artisans to sell directly. The government should help them with market access so that they do not fall into the trap of middlemen. Let the government make a conscious decision to empower our artisan community in a true sense.
Step in right direction
