The cluster exhibition cum buyer seller meet is being organized by the Department of Handloom Development from 16th to 18th of January, 2016 at Jhelum Resort, JammuThis programme is being sponsored by Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Union Ministry of Textiles. Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, Raj Kumar Bhagat, inaugurated the exhibition.Secretary went around the cluster stalls at the Expo and viewed various products displayed by the handloom development clusters from different parts of the state. He lauded the weavers of these Handloom Clusters for their traditional products like Pashmina Shawls and Stoles, Kani and Jamavar Shawals, Woolen Baskets, cotton Kurtas, towel, salwar kamij, shawl and others.
About 13 clusters, nine from Kashmir and four from Jammu division, are participating in the exhibition.Secretary appreciated the efforts of the department for organizing such exhibitions which besides promoting state’s traditional handloom products also facilitates direct contact between the buyer and the seller. He asked the artisans and craftsman to avail the benefits of various schemes being launched by the department for their socio economic upliftment. He emphasized that the focus should be to help weavers to produce products in tune with the buyer requirements and grow significantly so that they may become manufacturers not only at a local but also at a national level.Today’s event is another effort made by the Handloom Department to provide marketing channels to the Handloom Weavers under Cluster approach projects.
Later, the Secretary flagged off a contingent of 24 handloom cluster weavers to Meerut for their awareness cum exposure visit to aquaint them with latest techniques and trends of the market.Earlier, Director Handloom Development, Rajesh Sharma, highlighted the schemes being implemented by the Handloom Department for the upliftment of weavers of the StateAmong others, Excise Commissioner Tsering Angchok, Special Secretary , I&C Department S. A. Khan, Director Handloom Development Department Rajesh Sharma, Director Handicraft Department, Gazanfar Ali, Joint Director Handloom Kashmir Bashir Ahmed Wani, Joint Director Information Nagendra Singh Jamwal, Deputy Director Handloom Jammu Dr. Subash, Deputy Director ( C) Satpal Bovaria, Deputy Director Projects T. F. Shawl, President chambers and commerce ,Buyers, sellers, vendors, , Cluster Development Executives, Secretary of different weavers co-operative societies were also presented on the occasion