Our craftsmen are India’s ambassador of heritage to the world, said Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, while addressing the Shilp Guru and National Awards organised by Ministry of Textiles New Delhi. He said that India is on the rise as never before.
“We are the most favoured destination globally for investment and opportunity. And the craftspersons associated with handicrafts and handloom sector have played their role in this growth,” he said.
Talking about the craftsmanship and skills of the artisans, he said that such refined skills make India proud. “The craftsperson’s are the beacon of our culture. I am privileged to indicate you are the most forceful and impactful embers of our culture & creativity. You indicate to the world, the enormous skills that India possesses,” he said.
The Shilp Guru and National Awards to master craftpersons were distributed for the year 2017, 2018 and 2019. Due to pandemic, the event couldn’t be organised physically.
Mentioning the pandemic period when India outshined the world by providing 3 billion vaccines to our people and this was supported by digital mapping of the vaccination programme, he said that no country in the world can even think of such an initiative. He also mentioned that ration to over 80 crore beneficiaries is also being provided since the first lockdown.
Dhankhar added that presidency of G20 indicates that the world is listening to Hon’ble Prime Minister and his vision. He said that he is confident that by end of the decade India will become the third largest world economy.
Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal said that handicraft handloom is a cornerstone for a self-reliant, confident India that is engaging with the rest of the world. He said that our shilpkar’s have, down the centuries, developed their own – often unique – methods and techniques to bring life into stone, metal, sandalwood and clay. They had, a very long time ago, perfected scientific and engineering processes far ahead of their times.
Their creations revealed their sophisticated knowledge and highly developed aesthetic sense. Production of handicraft items provides livelihood opportunities to lakhs of people living in rural areas at a low capital investment, and has a good domestic and international market, which forms parts of the Indian heritage, culture and tradition.
