Chairman and CEO,J&K Bank,Parvez Ahmed today undertook an extensive visit of Kulgam District alongwith Bank’s Executive Presidents,P K Tickoo and R K Chhibber, Presidents Mohammad Maqbool Lone and Ashraf Ali Malik, Vice Presidents Sushil Kumar and M AWanchoo, and other senior officers of the bankto inaugurate various Business facilities apart from launching multiple initiatives under its CSR program.
As a major initiative aimed at the revival and developmentof willow wicking and pottery crafts in the state, Chairman laid the foundationstone of SaqafatTahafuzMarkaz or Common Facility Centre (CFC) at Okey(pronounced ‘Voki’) village of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district under the Bank’sCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program.
Priorto the inaugural function Chairman Parvez Ahmed alongwith his senior management team paid obeisance at shrine of Syed Ahmad SahibSarhandi (R.A), Syed Mohammad Sahib Sarhandi (R.A)and Syed Hussain SahibSarhandi (R.A) in the vicinity of the upcoming Centre. The function startedwith the recital of Qur’an and naa’t by students of Sheikh ulAlam Institute.
Chairman laid the foundation stone in presence of the Bank’sexecutives besides many notables from the area.
The project is a part of the chairman’s vision of adoptingvillages in the district associated with the production of Kangri (earthen firepot) – which has become the Kashmir’s cultural symbol – and upliftment ofrelated artisans by dispensing micro-credit for their socio-economicdevelopment in addition to the preservation of socio-cultural heritage of thestate.
The project is a part of the Bank’s vision of heritagepreservation by increasing the livelihood opportunities and the earnings of thecraftspeople so as to encourage millennials to adopt these crafts as attractivemeans of employment. Bank, sensing urgency of the issue at hand with respect tothe survival of the crafts and sustenance of the artisans associated with it,adopted a cluster of villages around Okey which is known for production ofKangri (fire pots) and earthen utensils with the purpose of promotion anddevelopment of the willow wicking and pottery crafts and the economicupliftment of the artisans associated with it.
The chairman expressed his elation at the resounding welcomeextended by the people of the area who showered salutations and hailed him onhis arrival at the place.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman said, “The CommonFacility Centre will become an asset for the people and bring prosperity toOkey and other connected villages besides helping preserve our socio-culturalheritage. The centre will promote talent and help produce world classproducts.”
“It will provide anorganised supply chain that will cater to the various stages of themanufacturing process and will aim to create general awareness, provide skilldevelopment and capacity building besides facilitating exposure visits tooutside state and create market linkages like Dastkar Bazaar,” he added.
The establishment of the centre will breathe a new life intothe dwindling art of Kangri weaving and pottery and provide a one point centrefor procurement and processing of raw material using modern tools andtechniques, skill developmentof the artisans and sale of the finished product.
Calling the activity as being synonymous with the bank’scorporate motto ‘Serving to Empower’, the chairman asserted that empoweringpeople at the grass root level ensures that the weaker sections of society getan opportunity to avail banking services and become beneficiaries of theinclusive economy.
Notably, the centre came up only after the bank got anin-depth survey of the industry done through an independent Non-GovernmentalOrganisation (NGO), that provided insights into the nature of interventionsrequired on part of the state’s premier financial institution to revive the artand industry of willow wicking and pottery and develop it on modern and sustainablelines ensuring the overall development of the stakeholders.
Earlier Executive President P K Tickoo said that asKashmiris we have grown up alongside kangri which continues to be an integralpart of our culture, which must be preserved and produced for our posterity.Adding that the artisans should not restrict their craft to the production ofkangri but upgrade it and manufacture other products at the centre aswell.
Executive President R K Chhibber thanked the people fortheir warmth said, “The centre will be a landmark for the area, whoseinhabitants have showered unprecedented love and respect for our Chairman. Itis almost a festival here today. People of the area should make use of thisopportunity and change their fortunes for good.”
Present on the occasion, prominent citizens Abdul Rehman Mirand Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat hailed the Chairman for the landmark initiative whichwould transform the lives of the souls living in the village.
In his welcome address, Zonal Head M AWanchoo thankedChairman for adopting the village Okey.He said, “The centre will go a long wayin uplifting the people and transforming the socio-economic profile of thearea.”
The bank’s AVP MuzzafarWani, also spoke on the occasionabout the centre.
“The raw material will be made available for the centre thatwill house facilities for baking, dying, boiling and drying. Training centrewill also be part of the centre for capacity building, skill development,design intervention and product diversification besides a business unit that willprovide all the necessary financial and other banking services for theinmates”, he said while explaining the outlines of the ambitious project.