CM Vishnu Deo Sai today attended the oath taking ceremony of newly appointed Chairperson of Chhattisgarh Handicrafts Development Board Smt. Shalini Rajput at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium in Raipur. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that Chhattisgarh has immense potential for development of handicrafts. There is a huge demand for art works from abroad. The Government is committed to provide market to the handicraft products of Chhattisgarh and fair price to the artisans for their skills. The Chief Minister distributed a grant of Rs 5,000 to the artisans under the Tool Equipment Scheme.
Congratulating Shalini Rajput on assuming charge as the new Chairperson of Chhattisgarh Crafts Development Board, the Chief Minister said that under her leadership Chhattisgarh Handicrafts Development Board will work for the betterment of the artisans. He said that handicraftsmen are doing very good work in every area of Chhattisgarh. During the Good Governance Tihar, I had the opportunity to visit Shilpgram in Kondagaon. There I met craftsmen and observed their art from close quarters. Similarly in Ektal of Raigarh also artisans make art works from metal. In Bastar beautiful shapes of wood are made from wood art. The skill of the artisans in the entire state is amazing. The beautiful cap presented to me in this program today was made of chind and bronze. In Kotampani near our village in Jashpur also very beautiful works of art are made of chind and bronze.
The Chief Minister said that more and more training needs to be imparted to the artisans. It is very important that the work of handicrafts is mostly done in rural areas. Therefore, through the development of handicrafts, we can provide employment to the villagers on a large scale. I hope that the Handicrafts Development Board will work in this direction and connect the artisans with employment by providing them maximum loan-subsidy along with training.
The Chief Minister said that the Dokra art of Kondagaon is in demand in foreign countries. It is important that the craftsmen get a fair price for the product along with the market. Handicraftsmen should have direct access to the market without middlemen so that they get maximum profit.
The Chief Minister said that it is a matter of great happiness that Pandi Ram Manjhi of Garhbengal, Chhattisgarh has been awarded the Padma Shri. The art of Chhattisgarh is the pride of our country, it should be recognised all over the world.
Speaker Raman Singh said that the artists of Chhattisgarh have a miracle in their hands. Whether it is clay toys or bell metal, kasidakari, godna and terracotta, the handicraftsmen of the state are making very beautiful products of their art. There should be participation of handicrafts of Chhattisgarh in national-international level exhibitions. Our craftsmen have ingenious skills. Designers also need to be roped in for large-scale handicraft production.
Minister for Women and Child Development Smt. Laxmi Rajwade, Member of Parliament Smt. Kamlesh Jangade, MLAs Shri Dharamlal Kaushik, Shri Sunil Soni, Shri Asharam Netam, Shri Gajendra Yadav, Chairpersons of various Corporations / Divisional Commissions, Managing Director of Chhattisgarh Handicrafts Development Board Shri J.P. Maurya and many other dignitaries were present on the occasion.