Policy for craftsmen on the cards

The Gujarat government is looking at framing a policy for the economic development of craftsmen, including kite makers, and for the betterment of the industry as a whole.

The policy is expected to be announced at the Vishwa Gujarati Parivar Mohatsav, Uttarayan - 2004, the international kite flying festival, that will be organised in Ahmedabad from January 12 to 14.

The government hopes to transform the state's Rs 150-crore kite-making industry from being part of an unorganised set up to being part of the organised sector.

Anil Patel, minister of state for industries, said the state government is keen on developing the industry on a fairly large scale.

The new policy is expected to be framed based on a special survey commissioned by the Gujarat government on various aspects "" making, trading, and retailing "" of the kite industry.

The survey was carried out by three leading consulting agencies, including Gujarat Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation (GITCO), A C Nielsen-ORG Centre for Social Research and Institute of Environment and Social Development (IESD).

It quizzed about 15 per cent of persons engaged in each aspect of the kite-making industry in different towns of Gujarat.

The survey revealed that around 70 per cent of the workforce engaged in the kite making are women.

According to the GITCO study, the production of kites continues for 10 months, starting from March to January, which involves 50 per cent females and 10 per cent child labour.

The rapid survey of kite industries done by ORG centre suggests that the annual profit made by a single kite manufacturer from the kite business is less than Rs 50 thousand per annum, while the study conducted by the IESD reveals that the kite business is primarily seasonal and the annual turnover is less than one lakh per annum for a single kite maker.

The Government of Gujarat, in association with the Swadeshi Academic Council (SAC), Chennai, is organising a one-day workshop 'Gujarat Patang Udyog Karyashibir' at Gandhi Labour Institute on Drive-in Road in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

Over 300 people from the kite industry, including manufacturers, artisans, wholesellers, NGOs, designers, and financial institutions, will participate in this workshop.

The workshop is expected to highlight the need for organising kite manufacturers' cooperative societies, self employment for women, institutionalised channels for the development of kite makers and upgrading skill, design and indigenisation.

The workshop will also discuss development of export potential and ways to make 'Gujarat' the 'Sivakasi' of kite manufacturing and arranging finances.

"The aim of the workshop is to act as a forum for generating innovative and creative ideas and to facilitate interactions between manufacturers, artisans, wholesalers, NGOs designers and financial institutions," said Arvind Agarwal, commissioner of cottage and rural industries, Gujarat state.

The kite-making industry in the state is mainly located in about half a dozen clusters in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Cambay.

In Ahmedabad alone, the market for kites is estimated to be Rs 12 crore. The total market, including allied products like manjas (the coloured thread) and firkees (the spool), is estimated at Rs 43 crore.