ITANAGAR, 5 Oct: The skill development & entrepreneurship (SDE) department, in collaboration with Ahmedabad-based National Institute of Design (NID), organised a workshop-cum-stakeholders’ meet to study the practice of indigenous handicraft and handloom of Arunachal Pradesh at the civil secretariat here on Friday.
The study will also map women artisans by craft and do gap analysis in the sector for bringing in various interventions by the government in skilling, market development, etc.
The meet was also intended to enable the NID team to facilitate collaborative planning and effective resource-mapping before embarking on the field study.
The workshop was a part of the first phase of a case study project being implemented by the NID, which aims to have an understanding of preserving and promoting the local arts and crafts of Arunachal and the livelihoods associated with it by bridging the skill gaps.
The workshop was inaugurated and chaired by SDE Commissioner Saugat Biswas. It was funded under the World Bank’s Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) initiative and facilitated by the union SDE ministry.
The NID Ahmedabad team, led by Prof Neelima Hasija and Prof Shafique Afzal, delivered a detailed presentation on various activities, legacy and research projects carried out by the NID across India in the arts and crafts sector. They also briefed the stakeholders on the various aspects of case study projects, the need to critically identify and understand the crafts of a specific district and tribe, artisans and craftsmen involved in it, raw materials required, challenges, and suggestions to overcome those challenges. Discussions were also held on the case study’s scope, field research methodology, and the current challenges and aspirations of practicing communities and local entrepreneurs.
Officers and officials of various departments, including the SDE, textile & handicrafts, sericulture, cooperatives, and women & child development, members of the Arunachal State Rural Livelihood Mission, NGOs, the producer’s company engaged in arts and crafts, and the state museum, besides designers and entrepreneurs participated in the workshop.
The SDE department had commissioned the NID to conduct a gap analysis and develop a strategy for a project titled ‘Crafts and vocations by ST/SC women and artisans of Arunachal Pradesh’. The NID team will collect data on the current craft and vocation ecosystem through a field study and offer actionable recommendations.
