The scheme Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development (USTTAD) was launched in May, 2015 and following activities have been taken up to assist the artisans:
(i) Shilp Utsav" component of the scheme has been implemented through "National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) to provide support to minority craftsmen/ artisans for marketing their products. NMDFC has held 8 exhibitions in the States of Haryana, Karnataka, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi, including a Hunar Haat" in the India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2016, and assisted 719 artisans to enable them to establish national and global market linkages.
(ii) The Ministry has also engaged Knowledge Partners viz. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and National Institute of Design (NID) to work in various clusters for design intervention; product range development; packaging; exhibitions, fashion shows and publicity; tying up with e-marketing portals to enhance sales; and brand building. Both the institutions have identified total 36 craft clusters with 20-30 artisans in each cluster for their capacity building.
This information was given by Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State (IC) for Minority Affairs, in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
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