Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi inaugurates 33rd edition of “Hunar Haat” in New Delhi

New Delhi: Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s “mantra” of “Vocal for Local” has become a “mass movement” to strengthen the vision of “Swadeshi to Swavlamban”.

Inaugurating the 33rd edition of “Hunar Haat”, being organised at India International Trade Fair, Pragati Maidan in New Delhi today, Shri Naqvi said that during the Corona crisis, indigenous production capacity fulfilled the domestic needs and became “safety cover” for Indian economy during the global recession.

Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Shri John Barla, Ambassador of Iran to India Dr Ali Chegeni, Ambassador of Kuwait to India Shri Jasem Ibrahem Al Najem, Secretary, Union Minority Affairs Ministry Smt. Renuka Kumar and other senior officials were present on the occasion.

Shri Naqvi said that the country which used to depend on foreign imports even for food grains, has now not only become self-reliant in food grains production, it is also exporting food grains to the entire world. India’s self-reliance in food grains production is a result of hard work of our “Anndatas” and the Government’s efforts to ensure “Aatmanirbhar Krishi Aur Krishak”.

He said that India has become a major hub of pharmacy sector. Within a year of the Corona pandemic, India made the entire world realise capability and strength of our country’s indigenous production by developing “Made in India” Corona vaccine, various medical equipment and other indigenous life-saving medicines to ensure health and well-being of the people.

The Minister said that India’s traditional and ancestral legacy of handloom-handicraft has been promoted by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s “mantra” of “Vocal for Local” and “Swadeshi”. The “Hunar Haat” has not only made the artisans and craftsmen self-reliant, it has also strengthened the commitment to “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.

This is the 33rd “Hunar Haat” in the series of on-going “Hunar Haats” across the country. More than 550 artisans and craftsmen from more than 30 States/UTs are participating in the “Hunar Haat”, being organized at Hall No 3, Pragati Maidan from 14th to 27th November 2021. With 300 stalls, this is the largest participation by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs in India International Trade Fair this year. Canara Bank has set up a stall in the “Hunar Haat” to provide easy loans to artisans and craftsmen for employment and self-employment.

Shri Naqvi said that “Hunar Haat” virtual and online platform http://hunarhaat.org and GeM portal, better marketing linkages, new designs, better packaging, training & credit linkages have opened enormous opportunities for economic empowerment of artisans and craftsmen. More than 6 lakh 75 thousand artisans, craftsmen and people associated with them have been provided employment and employment opportunities through “Hunar Haat” in the last about 6 years.

Exquisite and elegant indigenous handmade products from Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Ladakh, Jammu-Kashmir, Punjab, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Manipur, Goa, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Chandigarh, Haryana etc are available for sale and display.

Various cultural and musical programmes of renowned artists are being organised by “Hunar Haat” in an open auditorium at Pragati Maidan every day. The visitors will also enjoy “Circus” at “Hunar Haat” where the Indian Circus artists will perform spectacular diverse traditional entertainment shows.

Earlier, “Hunar Haats” have been organized at various places in the country including Delhi, Mumbai, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Puducherry, Bhopal, Indore, Ranchi, Mysuru, Panaji, Dehradun, Vrindavan and Rampur.

The next “Hunar Haats” will be organised at Hyderabad (26 November to 5 December), Surat (10 to 19 December), JLN Stadium, New Delhi (22 December 2021 to 2 January 2022). “Hunar Haats” will also be organised in Mysuru, Guwahati, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Patna, Puducherry, Mumbai, Jammu, Chennai, Chandigarh, Agra, Prayagraj, Goa, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Kota, Sikkim, Srinagar, Leh, Shillong, Ranchi, Agartala and other places in the coming days.