NT Bureau
Chennai, Jan 10
To provide an opportunity for women artisans to sell their products directly in the market, a 10-day Women Craft Bazaar began here yesterday. A Elangovan, secretary, Handlooms, Handicrafts and Khadi inaugurated the exhibition at Padmaram Mahal, Arcot Road, Kodambakkam.
As many as 150 women craft persons from 18 States are participating in the fair with their unique crafts such as dolls, terracottas, jute bags, embroidery dresses, paintings and bamboo furnitures. The exhibition will be a buyer and seller meet where the women craft persons will know the public requirements of the their products, P Sundaramoorthy, regional director, Office of Development Commissioner, Southern Region, Ministry of Textiles said,
‘The Ministry of Textile has been helping the artisans by introducing various schemes, and of nearly 65 lakh artisans in the country, around 45 per cent are women’. ‘The government through its credit card scheme has identified nearly one lakh registered artisans. These artisans will be given a loan of Rs 25,000 to buy raw materials. They need not produce any security for getting loans’, he added.
He also mentioned that the Self-help groups (SHG) under the aegis of Tamilnadu Corporation for Development of Women Limited dealing with handicrafts from 21 districts are also participating in the fair.
The exhibition is organised with the financial assistance of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), New Delhi and Tamilnadu Corporation for Development of Women Limited. The exhibition is open from 10 am to 8 pm.
