The inaugural capacity building training programme on bamboo jewelry and utility handicrafts was organized by the Office of the General Manager of the District Commerce and Industries Centre, Ampati, in collaboration with Neera Creations, Tezpur, Assam at Mellim, Rerapara C&RD Block, South West Garo Hills today.
Fifteen days of training under the Handicraft Promotion Scheme 2020-2021 has been initiated to impart training to 25 artisans, with an aim to promote handicrafts and create self-employment opportunities among the youth of the region.
The main objectives of the training are to guide handicraft artisans in taking up handicraft jewelry as an employment opportunity, to utilise waste and forest-based raw materials to convert them into useful and valuable items of jewelry and other utilities and also to tap its huge existing market within and outside the state.
Block Development Officer RZD Shira encouraged the trainees to maintain discipline, attentiveness and consistency in order to make such training successful.
The chief trainer, Neera Sharma, who left the legal profession to follow her passion in jewelry handicraft, has been travelling to rural areas in India to impart training in bamboo jewelry handicrafts as part of the Rural Livelihood Mission.
While addressing the gathering, she stressed on targeting the tourist spots to market these products as most tourists look for compact local handicrafts to take back home as souvenirs. She expressed that rural areas are full of skilled indigenous artisans who can learn and help her learn the art which will help bridge the unemployment gap in rural areas. She announced that after imparting training, she could also buy the products from them and sell those crafts in the right markets to help locals generate income out of their skill and labour.
