During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with 'Nari Shakti Puraskar' awardees here, Arifa Jan, a craftswoman from Kashmir, shared her inspirational story and thanked the PM for the 'appreciation' which is 'hard to come by for grassroots entrepreneurs'.
"I took up the revival of Namda craft project, we started with five artisans, later more women along with men joined us. Then I moved onto the revival of pashmina spinning. I did not really work to earn for myself, I tried to revive the dying crafts and benefit the artisan community," said Arifa Jan.
She expressed gratitude for having been given the appreciation and a chance to meet the President and the Prime Minister of the country.
"Twenty-eight women are involved in pashmina spinning, 25 are involved in embroidery work and 15 are involved in Namda handicraft revival, there are 75 people overall. But everything was spoiled after the internet ban last year. Thank you so much for the appreciation, generally, it is hard for grassroots entrepreneurs to receive appreciation," she said.
The Prime Minister assured her that her business will now flourish faster and said, "You have given a good message, that one doesn't have to wait for a job, you can become job creators."
The first business activity that Arifa took part in was an exhibition of handmade items in New Delhi.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday presented Nari Shakti Puraskar on the occasion of International Women's Day at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre (RBCC).
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