The exhibition cum marketing outlet of products developed by the craftsmen of five states under the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna (SGSY) was inaugurated by the union textile minister, Shri Shankersinh Vaghela here on 18th October. The minister on the occasion said that the target of providing employment to 1.20 crore people is expected to be achieved within the five year period under the SGSY, a Scheme of ministry of rural development.

During the last two years, about 50 lakh people were given employment as trends show that this year another 50 lakh people are getting employment under the scheme. Shri Vaghela said that National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) is imparting training to rural artisans within their villages and 100 percent placement is assured for them, for which he urged that the NIFT students should go to the villages and train rural craftsmen so that their products as per current marketing requirements.

However, NIFT is presently working in six clusters and more will be added in due course, for training of rural artisans; whereas textile ministry will provide all kinds of assistance in achieving the targets. NIFT is the first educational institution to link rural artisans to urban market through intervening in the mobilisation, design and product development and market linkages.

Under SGSY, NIFT has identified about 10,000 rural craftsmen working in the clusters at Dhar in Madhya Pradesh, Humpi in Karnataka, Surendra Nagar in Gujarat, Kozhikode in Kerala and Birbhum in West Bengal for up-gradation of their skills so that their products become viable commercially.

Source: http://www.bharattextile.com/