A two-day Tribal Artisan Mela that brought artisans from across East Khasi Hills to showcase their various products concluded today at the Nongthymmai Community Hall.
The mela hosted by the Meghalaya Livelihood and Access to Markets Project (Megha-LAMP) and Trifed under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs aims to help local artisans market and sell their handloom and handicraft products across the country through the network of 120 showrooms owned by the ministry.
Organisers said the program is a platform for local artisans in the State to sell their products across the country at better prices, eliminating the involvement of middlemen.
“The mela hopes to support the artisans of Meghalaya by initiating a common platform for them with three simple steps. Firstly, there will be a brief discussion on how the products are made. Secondly, a common price will be agreed upon and fixed with the artisan. Finally, the products will be indented, and payment will be directly transferred to the bank account of the artisans within 5 to 10 working days. This entire process is automated without human intervention, avoiding any potential for corruption,” the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority said.
The event aims to assist these artisans through the Promotion of Tribal Products, North Eastern Region, a flagship scheme of the Tribal Affair Ministry. The scheme is a 140 crore budget outlet program promoting products from the region.
