Govt working to encourage tribal, handicraft community: Irani

Deepak Kumar

The government is currently working on a plan to encourage tribal, handicrafts community, Textile Minister Smriti Irani said on Friday.

Speaking at ‘ASSOCHAM Global Investors’ India Forum in New Delhi, Irani said she met the minister in-charge for tribal affairs, who along with the Ministry of Textiles, are propagating a plan to ensure uniqueness of their craft. She acknowledged the fact that they have a challenge of not understanding the amount of opportunity the market has to offer to them, but the Government has plans to address their social challenges such as education, healthcare and housing.

She also underscored the need to facilitate smooth communication between state, centre and district administration. This would ensure a smooth channelisation and intervention in the handicraft and handloom sector.

The north-east tribal community offers a wide range of handlooms products, and if given consideration, the region could emerge as a major production hub of the sector.

Highlighting the private sector’s role in overcoming the country’s logistical bottlenecks, the minister said her ministry was already in discussion with the Road, Transport and Highways Ministry, and industry’s participation was required to effectively meet this challenge.

The minister pointed out that the power loom sector faces several challenges, including lack of subsidy for up-gradation of looms and insufficient money for the renewable energy.

“We are working out some kind of support for the entire sector but my biggest concern is for those who have one or two looms or less than eight looms because till now much of the money has gone to people who are organised better, not the individual power weaver. . This is where everything is shutting down”, she said.

Replying to a separate query on the role of judiciary in bringing about a positive change in ease of doing business, NITI Aayog Chief said the country’s judiciary system has not been very cooperative in facilitating ease of doing business, but it has made a noteworthy progress on this front, yet a lot remains to be done. The judiciary system needs to be changed.