Be innovative to keep pace with time, Manik Sarkar to rural artisans

A CORRESPONDENT

AGARTALA, Jan 2: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has urged the rural artisans to bring variety in design to keep pace with the time, satisfy the demand of the new generation and at the same time to ensure quality to earn confidence of the buyers.

Stressing on the challenge posed by advance technology, the Chief Minister said that the rural industry have to take the challenge and tackle it by modernizing themselves.

He said at a time it was feared that the rural industry especially the handloom and handicrafts are going to oblivion but more than 1.5 lakh artisans are now seeing a new hope of surviving by adopting new technology and innovative designs. It became possible due to a realistic approach of the government and urged the artisan to take this opportunity.

Sarkar was addressing a gathering after iugurating the new building of the Purbasha, the marketing wing of the Tripura Handloom and Handicraft Corporation. The four storied building at a cost of Rs 12 crore and designed as Burmese pagoda will house the first Urban Hut in Northeast. The rural artisan of the State as well as from outside will have the opportunity to show case their product here.

“Handloom and handicrafts of the State have already carved a niche in and outside Tripura as well as offshore and there are vast scope of enlarging it if the artisans become innovative,” said Manik Sarkar.

He also assured all co-operations from the state and criticized the banks for not being generous to stand beside the poor artisans.