STORY: India announces new scheme to support traditional artisans
DATELINE: Aug. 18, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:41
LOCATION: New Delhi
CATEGORY: SOCIETY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of traditional artisans and craftspeople in India
 
STORYLINE:
 
The Indian government on Wednesday announced a new scheme worth 130 billion Indian Rupees (1.56 billion U.S. dollars) to provide financial support to traditional artisans and craftspeople engaged in small family businesses.
 
One of the broad objectives of the scheme is to integrate these artisans and craftspeople in urban and rural areas of the South Asian country into both domestic and global value chains.
 
The scheme is expected to cover 18 traditional trades, benefiting carpenters, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, shoe smiths, masons, barbers, garland-makers, tailors, and fishing-net makers, among others.
 
Besides credit support offered over a period of five years beginning fiscal year 2023-24, "the scheme will further provide skill up-gradation, toolkit incentive, incentive for digital transactions and marketing support," said a statement by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
 
The scheme aims to strengthen and nurture the teacher-disciple tradition, or family-based practice, of traditional skills by artisans and craftspeople working with their hands and tools, said the statement, adding the scheme also tries to help improve the quality as well as the reach of the products and services involved.
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from New Delhi.
(XHTV)