41st India International Trade Fair begins at Pragati Maidan

NEW DELHI : The 41st India International Trade Fair (IITF) was thrown open today at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

The J&K pavilion was jointly inaugurated by Director Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir, Mahmood Ahmad Shah and Director Handicrafts and Handloom Jammu, Vikas Gupta.

Pertinently, the department of Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir has set up a pavilion in the fair to showcase the artifacts of handicraft and handloom sectors. IITF offers an ideal platform to showcase the Handicrafts and Handloom products of J&K under the ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign thus giving a fillip to economy of the UT.

As many as, eleven government departments and corporations including Agricultural, Horticulture, Agro Industries, JKI, JK Minerals and others have set up their stalls in the fair to showcase their products.

The India International Trade Fair has evolved as a major event for the business community. It is a premier event being organized by the India Trade Promotion Organization, the nodal trade promotion agency of the government. The event is held every year between 14 and 27 November at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The fair attracts a huge audience of general visitors and businessmen from across the globe which helps the artisans showcase their arts and crafts besides contributing towards UT’s economy. The JK pavilion is the perfect epitome of diversity, culture, heritage and tourism potential of the UT.

The Department of Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir has put a special focus on GI certified products and is creating huge awareness on the same. The special feature of the JK Pavilion is the live demonstration of crafts from Kashmir through the master crafts men from School of Designs Kashmir.

Director Handicrafts & Handloom Kashmir, while urging the artisans to ensure that only authentic products of the UT are displayed during the exhibition, said that the department has taken several initiatives to provide a stimulus to the handicraft industry for extending enhanced business opportunities to the artisans and weavers which shall in turn lead to their employment generation.