Imphal: Manipur government has been planning to build a Textile Park along with a Textile Design Institute to support local handloom and handicraft workers for which a proposal has already been sent to the Ministry of Textiles.
The plan was made about one and a half months ago, said Anurag Bajpayee, additional chief cecretary for Textiles, Commerce and Industries, during ‘National Handloom day’ observation at City Convention, Imphal on Thursday.
“We have sent the detailed project report to the Textiles ministry and they have responded positively. We are also working with the Ministry of DoNER to get funds,” he said.
“Nearly 30 percent of the people in Manipur depend on the handloom and handicraft sector for their livelihood. This sector is not organised properly and we don’t want our artisans to remain in this condition. These products are in high demand, not just in India, but in other countries too,” Bajpayee said.
Apart from building the Textile Park, the government also wants to train artisans and weavers so they can understand the market better and sell their products online.
“If an artisan joins an e-commerce site like Amazon, they should know how to use it properly. It’s not just about registering. That’s why training is important,” he said.
The government also plans to create design and innovation studios where designers and weavers can work together. These studios will help create new designs that are attractive to people in India and abroad, while still keeping Manipur’s traditional styles, he added.
“To increase the income of artisans, we need to reach larger markets. We are hopeful that our plans will help the artisans and improve the state’s economy.”
