Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 22: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha along with Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, and DoPT today inaugurated the Jammu Haat at Exhibition Ground.
Constructed at a cost of Rs 31.63 crores Jammu Haat is an outcome of the long pending demand of the local craftsmen, especially the women artisans, to have a state-of-the-art exhibition venue where local crafts can be displayed and they can directly connect with the buyers.
While speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor observed that the Jammu Haat shall act as nerve center of Exhibition Activity of Local Art, Craft and for the sale of various local Handicrafts, Handloom products and Small Scale Industrial products.
“The inauguration of Jammu Haat is a celebration of the exquisite workmanship and tradition of the local craftsmen of the UT”, he added.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union MoS said that when India is celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mohatsav’,75 years of Independence, the next 25 years are going to be crucial for the nation’s growth and progress.
Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words, Dr. Singh said that by 2047 when India would emerge as ‘Vishwa Guru’ on its 100 years of independence, it will be an absolute India consisting of east, west, north, and south, of which Jammu & Kashmir is also a part & thus people of Jammu must remain steadfast and prepare themselves for that important historical moment.
On the public outreach program in J&K, Singh said that after Modi took oath for the second term, ‘Mission J&K’ was strongly emphasized, of which one of the important steps taken has been the extensive public outreach program going on these days.
The Lt Governor noted that Jammu Haat will be a unique marketplace, in the heart of the city and will display the richness of J&K’s culture. It will serve as a platform for organizing buyer-seller meets creating opportunities for enhancing local business & exports on a permanent basis by connecting local artisans with a multitude of markets, he added.
He said that the Haat will empower the local entrepreneurs to build successful businesses by providing high-quality training programs, advisory services and this access will help people achieve economic self-sufficiency through small business development, besides promoting local heritage & tourism.
“I believe that Jammu Haat can bring about a massive change in the handicraft, handloom and local industry at the grassroots level in Jammu”, the Lt Governor added.
Sinha said that the tradition of handicrafts, handlooms has been part of our society for the last ten thousand years. “Our primary focus is to scale up the local industries of handloom and handicrafts to global level”, he added.
The Lt Governor noted that the UT Govt is not only committed to the preservation and development of local art but also for the social and economic upliftment of lakhs of people associated with the handicraft sector in J&K.
He recalled that the Karkhandar scheme started in August this year aimed to create a bridge between traditional crafts and market, besides training the artisans, weavers associated with this rich heritage. The scheme broadly aims to revive the languishing crafts; upscale the learning techniques of trainees; improve the wages of the craftsmen through collectivization and creating linkages with producer organizations to inculcate entrepreneurial skills and aptitude to the trainees.
Jugal Kishore, Member Parliament; Chander Mohan Gupta, Mayor Jammu Municipal Corporation; Bharat Bhushan, Chairman DDC Jammu; Baseer Khan, Advisor to Lt Governor; Dr. AK Mehta, Chief Secretary; Mukesh Singh, ADGP Jammu; Raghav Langer, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Anshul Garg, DC Jammu, Ranjan Parkash Thakur, Commissioner Secretary Industries & Commerce, Director Industries Anu Malhotra, Samita Sethi, MD SICOP, GM SICOP Rajan Sharma, besides HoDs and Entrepreneurs were present on the occasion.
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