In an endeavour to promote Kashmiri carpet, national apex industry body Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC) has moved a proposal to the Union Textile Ministry for setting up several state-of-the-art facilities in Srinagar.
Chairman CEPC Siddh Nath Singh, who was in Srinagar for anevent recently, said CEPC has already moved proposal and Ministry of Textile islikely to approve setting up of Common Facility Centre (CFC), dying unit,Effluent Treatment Plan (ETP) and upgraded design bank for the carpet sector inthe Valley in order to boost the local handicraft.
The CEPC support comes at a stage when Kashmir handicrafts,especially carpet industry, have been struggling due to levy of Goods andServices Ta, which has taken a toll on artisans as well.
“CEPC has opened its regional office in the campus of IICT(Indian Institute of Carpet Technology), Srinagar which is fully functionalnow. Council is fully committed for growth and development of the handmadecarpet industry from Jammu & Kashmir,” Singh said.
The chairman assured that he will try his best to organiseexhibitions of handmade carpets in Srinagar.
Sanjay Kumar, Executive Director, CEPC who was also in thesummer capital said the apex body will help the industry all around for any kindof support “for the growth and development of the carpet sector”. Kumar saidamong major activities of CEPC to promote handmade carpets includeshand-holding support to exporting communities which are mostly artisans.
“Fairs abroad such as in Germany, USA, China, Hong kong,Russia and Dubai are vital for the carpet export sector. We will be keen topromote participation in these fairs,” Kumar said.
Kumar said organising awareness seminars and workshops byCEPC is another mechanism to promote handmade carpets.
“We are always making efforts for creating infrastructuralsupport for the sector. Providing training to artisans for weaving and designis a major focus area,” Kumar said. He said efforts such as certification ofartisans under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Scheme of National SkillDevelopment Council and keeping vigil on issue of child labour is also apriority area for CEPC. Kumar said Kashmir was among the only 6 places within 4states that is registered for Geographical Indication ( GI) in the carpetsector which must be further provided a boost.
“Conducting market studies and abroad initiatives such assetting up of warehouses in China, Germany, USA and Scandinavian country hashelped carpet industry,” Kumar said adding that promotion and branding ofhandmade carpet must be done as much as possible.
Local carpet industry players who have been at the receivingend since the 2014 floods have welcomed the CEPC efforts. “Last year GST council reduced tax rate onvarious handicrafts items including handmade carpets from 12 percent to 5percent which gave us a lot of hope. Now we hope setting up of the facilitiesin Kashmir will provide a boost to production,” said Farooq Ahmad, an artisan.
Even as carpet weavers are thrilled with efforts of CEPC,they say promises made by the previous government such as formation of clustersin areas where concentration of carpet weavers is large has not been fulfilled.” There have been recommendations that traditional carpet weaving areas such asSonawari, various areas in Budgam and carpet weaving localities around Dal Lakein the summer capital would be developed but to no avail,” said an artisan.