Govt approves Six sector-specific clusters

New Delhi: In a bid to improve the living and socio-economic conditions of the weavers and artisans, the Government approved the setting up of six sector-specific clusters at an estimated cost of Rs 420 crore.

While a handloom cluster would be set up at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Sibsagar at Assam, a powerloom cluster would come up at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra and Erode in Tamil Nadu.

For the development of handicrafts, clusters would be set up at Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh and Narasapur in Andhra Pradesh. Each cluster would be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 70 crore, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Prithviraj Chavan, told newspersons after a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which cleared the proposals.

“The comprehensive handicraft cluster development scheme would enhance the competitiveness of artisans in terms of access to technology, increased market share and ensure effective integration of scattered artisans,” he said.

The setting up of clusters would benefit the handicraft, powerloom and handloom by providing them access to world class infrastructure to help them develop new designs and products.

The three schemes would be implemented through public-private-partnership model in the form of collaboration between the Centre and State governments, beneficiary artisans and their groups and the financial institutions for a period of four years beginning from this fiscal.