Morung Express News
Jalukie | August 7
The highly reputed Public Sector Enterprise under the ministry of Science and Technology Department, Industrial Research of Govt. of India (NBRC) has launched its Pilot Project on ‘Carpet Weaving’ recently in collaboration with Jaipur Rugs Foundation (JRF) and Jalukie Town Council at Jalukie.
Launching the project for the first of its kind in north east at Jalukie, Somenath Ghosh, CMD of NBRC the Chief Guest of the Inaugural Function, exhort the weavers to availed the opportunities with wholeheartedly though the process maybe slow and tedious, since, he said, the textile products are usually a trifle expensive.
Impressed by the female folk in colourful traditional dress, he echoes, that the finer count yarn and the translation of traditional handloom fabric into modern garments has found wider scope of expansion in India and International market, lack of vocational training and entrepreneurial skills still remains a weak area and the need of the hour is to diversify into handloom based products and establish strong marketing linkages to make it commercially viable activity.
Somnath, also expressed hope on the installation of the project which is to be fabricated by JRF, would come up successfully and provide sustainable decent employment for large number of the weavers in the state. He further assured to provide a regular job to the local artisans especially on Sumek looms with raw materials and design at their doorstep by JRF with living wages for at least 2 years.
‘It is envisage that a start up activity funding by NBRC for looms and manage by JTC and technical expertise access by JRF would be replicated to other part of the State within a short span of time’, said the CMD, while expressing its plan of expansion of the project. NK Chaudhary,MT of JRF based at Rajasthan, encouraged the weavers to take the opportunity with dedicated and adapt themselves adding that, ‘these ancillary activities is to help the rural weavers to earn sustainable income initiated and supported by the Governemt of India.”
Also speaking at the occasion Zurenthung Ezung SDO (C) Jalukie, expressed surprised over the installation of such a project at Jalukie for the first of its kind in the North-East, while he also caution the weavers not to alienate the opportunity. He also further expressed his appreciation to the various agencies initiating the project which will lift the unemployment problem of the area at least to some extent.
Hundreds of the weavers from Jalukie Valley had attended the programme and registered themselves to the project which is also facilitated by the ministry of Panchayati Raj, New Delhi. It maybe mentioned that the said pilot project was earlier formally launch and a tripartite MoU was signed by NRDC,JTC&JRF during the recent visit ofMani Shankar Aiyer, Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, Panchayati Raj and Department of North Eastern Region at Dimapur.
