Samba : National Handloom Day celebrated at Sumb block
SAMBA : National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) today celebrated 7th National Handloom Day with the weavers of Samba district here at village Jalapur in Sumb block.
The programme was organised to honour the weaving community for their exquisite craftsmanship and highlight their contribution in the socio-economic development of the country.
Handloom sector represents a rich and varied heritage of the country. It also provides livelihood in rural and semi-rural parts of the country wherein maximum contribution towards workforce in handloom sector comes from women artisans.
The programme was attended by Malika Raina, AD Handloom, Samba; Baldev Singh, Sarpanch; DDM NABARD, Samba; Sister Jaya from Kristu Jyoti Social Welfare Society and handloom weavers from Samba district.
Malika Raina, AD Handloom gave a presentation about the Government schemes for development of weavers and exhorted them to take maximum advantage of those schemes. The weavers were assured that sufficient opportunities for marketing of their produce would be arranged through exhibitions and melas within and outside J&K.
Shalesh Sharma, DDM, NABARD Samba stressed upon the need for sustainable development of the handloom sector by nurturing the local craft and promoting their products. “It is also important to create awareness among people about encouraging handloom products,” he said. The initiatives/ schemes of NABARD for the development of rural artisans were also explained to the participants. They were also informed that attempts are being made for formation of Producer Organisations under Off-farm activities, which would help weavers to manufacture market driven products at competitive rates and with better marketing facilities.
On the occasion, mementos were given to the weavers for their contribution to the rich and varied heritage of the country. The weavers also shared their experiences and welcomed the initiatives being taken by NABARD and District Administration Samba for the betterment of rural artisans & weavers.