The Union Textiles Minister Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani inaugurated the 1st North East Investors’ Summit, organized jointly by the Ministry of Textiles and the Ministry of DoNER, at the State Convention Centre, in Shillong today. In her inaugural address, the Textiles Minister said that the huge participation in the summit showed not only the trust and belief in the investment opportunities in the North Eastern Region, but also the investors’ belief that the cooperation among the Government of India and Governments of North Eastern states will result in exponential multi-sectoral growth in the region.
The Summit is being organized exclusively for the North Eastern Region, focusing on manufacturing in textiles and allied sectors; and to showcase the region as a global destination for investment and explore the possibility of convergence of efforts of various central Ministries and North Eastern States in attracting investment into the region.
The Summit was also attended by Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog Dr. Arvind Panagariya; Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Dr Mukul Sangma; Union Minister of State (I/C), DoNER and Chairman, NEC Dr. Jitendra Singh; Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju; Minister for Textiles, Government of Assam, Shri Ranjit Dutta; Minister for Industries, Governement of Arunachal Pradesh, Shri Tamiyo Taga; Minister for Industries, Government of Mizoram, Shri H. Rohluna; and representatives from all eight North Eastern States and investors from across the country.
On the occasion, the Union Textiles Minister launched ‘India Handmade Bazaar’, an online portal, which will provide direct market access facility to handloom weavers & handicraft artisans. The portal will facilitate weavers & artisans to enter information about their products for easy understanding of customers/exporters. Weavers and artisans will be able to access the portal through their mobile number registered with Office of Development Commissioner. The mobile number can be registered by visiting nearest Weavers’ Service Centre & Marketing Centre as well. Buyers can view the products online and directly contact weaver/artisan to enquire or place an order.
Nearly 20 MoUs were signed on the occasion, to develop & promote NER handicrafts, handlooms, agro-textiles & geo-textiles. Various MoUs were signed to promote collaboration in the textiles sector, in each of the various states in the region.
The Minister appreciated the efforts of handloom designers and pointed out the uniqueness of products available in NER, giving an example of the organic carpet of Sikkim. The Minister informed that the Government of India is in a position to infuse Rs. 820 crore for supporting sericulture in the region; she said that this is estimated to impact around 3.95 lakh families, 70% of the resultant employment opportunities accruing to women.
The Minister informed the gathering that master craftsmen from the handloom sector will impart training to students across the various NIFT centres in the country, beginning from the coming academic session. She said this will enable the students to learn the legacy craft and imbibe this into contemporary fashion.
Informing about the initiatives taken by the Ministry for the welfare of handloom weavers, Smt. Irani spoke about about the E -Dhaga appand the ‘Bunkar Mitra’ helpline. She said that with E-Dhaga, subsidy is just a click away for the weavers. She said that the app, which enables handloom weavers to order and track their yarn, will be a boon for handloom weavers.
Chief Minister of Meghalaya,, Dr. Mukul Sangma said that the Summit provides an opportunity to showcase the talents of the weavers and to better tap into available job avenues. He said that the Summit will create opportunities for the cultivators and weavers to fend for themselves and enable them to improve their livelihood. Noting that textiles industry is inter-connected with all sorts of activities and people, he said the summit will benefit people at the grassroots level.
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