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Bhubaneswar, May 18: Aiming to boost the brass and bel metal designs in the state, Orissa Khadi and Village Industries Board (OK&VIB) together with National Institute for Fashion Technology (NIFT) flagged off a ten-day Traditional Artisan Cluster Development trip, a top official of the board said.
“The board has planned such trips to various villages with NIFT to promote design and cluster development for traditional brass and bel metal in those villages,” OKVIB president Tejeswar Parida said.
Parida said such trips will encourage students to develop new designs as well as learn designs prevailing in those areas which can later be developed into various clusters.
“Such trips will encourage artisans to work with youngsters pursuing professional courses in designing. We have planned such trips which will not only link the artisans with youths of NIFT but will also give rise to some exclusive designs that will create a platform for such products which are going out of the market,” Parida said.
“It is a good initiative as the students of NIFT will assist those artisans by visiting those areas. The project report that will be prepared by them can be used to get some funds to develop those clusters in the state and will create a market for the products,” MSME secretary Panchanan Das said.
On the scope of the products developed by the students, Das said various initiatives are taken by the government of which one is the e-market initiative through which such products can be uploaded and sold through famous e-players like Amazon and Flipkart.
State Planning Board adviser Rabi Naryan Das said the handicrafts need some more finishing in aspects like weight and design, and it is here where the expertise of NIFT students can come in handy.
Students will visit Khairapada in Kalahandi district, Beluguntha in Ganjam district, and Khalisahi and Kantilo in Nayagarh district.
“We expect at least thirty new designs to be designed by the students that can be displayed in the forthcoming exhibitions that will be conducted by the board. The artisans will also be able to learn new designs from the students so that they can also fine-tune and update their craft,” Parida added.
“Earlier, two teams of NIFT interns started their expedition to Khairapada in Kalahandi district and Nuagaon and Beluguntha in Ganjam to undertake research and survey on cluster development there on wood craft and brass fish-making respectively,” Parida said.
The state government will launch the new scheme as ‘Special Employment Generation Scheme’ (SEGP) to provide financial and technical assistance to traditional artisans living in villages.
