The Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot inaugurated the "Samajik Nyay pas" today at the ongoing India International Trade Fair 2014. Speaking on the occasion the Minister expressed his happiness that the Ministry has taken this innovative step to focus on the Ministry`s developmental programmes and highlight its achievement through exhibitions by artisans and by celebrating the "Samajik Nyay pas". The Minister congratulated the artisans, who have come from almost all parts of the country and the Ministry, CMDs and MDs of the Apex Corporations and their officers for organizing the event and suggested that such exhibitions should be held from time to time in various cities where the artisans of the target groups can be invited to showcase their products and skill.The Minister also stressed the need for upgradation of skill and asked the Ministry and the Apex Corporations to take necessary action in the direction of providing skill development and including technological inputs in skill upgradation of the traditional art and craft of the target groups.
Vijay Sampla, the Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment appreciating the work of artisans said that the Apex Corporations and other organizations have done a commendable job in organizing the event culminating in National integration and bonding among the artisans coming from far of places of almost all the States and hoped the exhibition will create adequate awareness about the developmental programmes of the Ministry being implemented at the grass-root level. He further added that the Corporations providing loans to the members of the target group have continuously been able to cater to the need of a large segment of the artisans and hoped that in future also the number of artisans assisted under the schemes would increase manifold so that more and more families living below poverty line and double poverty line may come up in their life.
73 stalls have been allotted to artisans form States/UTs of Assam, Karnataka, Gujrat, Delhi, Puducherry, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal etc. to display and sell their products like wooden toys, pearl jewelry, dress material, shawls, Tie and dye products, Sanganer print, handloom, painting, wood inlay, Banarasi sarees, Bamboo craft, Sozni work, Leather items etc. The total sale as reported by artisans is Rs. 15.00 Lakh upto 16th November 2014. Present on the occasion were Smt. Stuti Kakkar, Secretary, Department of Disability, Shri Anoop Kumar Srivastava, Special Secretary and all senior officers of the Ministry, NBCFDC, National Trust and Apex Corporations.