The government of India figures that Jammu and Kashmir State has exported handcrafts items worth Rs1500 crores impresses none, with traders, artisans and the business leaders of occupied Jammu and Kashmir accusing government of confusing the issue by mixing up figures.
“Now handicraft items are being produced in Amritsar and sold outside the country under Kashmir label. It is only exporters who thrive on the trade, which has proved fatal for Kashmiri artisans in particular and Kashmir in general,” said Abdul Majid, an artisan.
Majid argues that the puppet administration over the years has failed to check, “the infiltration in the handcrafts sector” by other Indian states, which camouflage their products, as 'Kashmiri products” and sell them in the market.
Consequently, the state is rapidly losing its skilled manpower. In seventies there were over 15-lakh artisans spread all over Kashmir with city people taking it (handcrafts) as primary source of income and villagers as secondary.
But now things are different. Sources said in 2003 when the department of Handicrafts conducted a special census, it found 7 lakh artisans in state. The officials of the department say presently the number of artisans registered with it is just 3.5 lakh.
The artisans said no concrete steps were being taken up by the puppet regime especially after 1989 to increase productivity in this sector particularly in carpet weaving, shawls, woodcarving and peppier mache.
“The puppet authorities are falsely rejoicing over the annual export figures of about 1500 crores provided by the Indian ministry of commerce when it knew that most of these exports included items produced by other states in India. In fact the production in all handcrafts segments has reduced from previous figures if the inflation was taken into account,” the artisans said.
The decrease in employment and production in the handcraft sector is attributed to non-serious and half-hearted government policies, which had failed to support and encourage artisans in order to make them comfortable. “The artisans who crafted the articles through involvement of their skill and great sense did not even get sufficient money for sustenance not to talk of getting optimum benefit from the job.”
The Federation of Chamber of Industries of Kashmir President Shakeel Qalanader says substantial number of skilled craftsmen and artisans have shifted to other jobs and remaining were taken to follow their path despite the government claims that all is well. He said after 1947 successive state governments launched vigorous campaign establishing handcraft training centres across the state leading to increase in number of artisans touching over 15 lakh in seventies.
Shakeel said though the concerned department claimed that the present employment absorption in handcraft sector was over 3 lakhs, the records maintained by them showed the number is around 2 lakh.
He held the state government responsible for failure in promotion of handcraft sector in order to use it as one of the vibrant economic vehicles for the overall development in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He said that all handicrafts units in IHK were in unorganised sector scattered through the length and breadth of occupied territory. “It was unfortunate that no measures were taken to encourage manufacturing of handicrafts items in an organised way particularly with cluster approach having common facility centres in parks especially established for each line of activity,” he said.
Recently artisans held a meeting at FCIK headquarters to chalk out future strategy. In the meeting the FCIK informed the meeting that although the industrial policy of 2004 envisaged for development of handicraft sector, as a thrust area, the methodology for the same had not been framed and finalised till date even after the elapse of more than four years now resulting in non- availability of incentives to handicrafts units.
“It was in view of the pathetic conditions of artisans and small handcraft units that the FCIK had decided to open a special cell for them, which would assess the causes of unrest among them and recommend measures and policies to be taken up at all levels.” The artisans were informed in the meeting. The cell would also deal with the basic issues, which confronted the growth and promotion of the sector in order to pave the way for increased productivity, design innovations, quality control, cost efficiency, brand promotion and marketing.
The FCIK would utilise its network in all districts of the valley to organise handcrafts units in each district in order to work out strategies for their relocation in clusters, the president FCIK said adding that his organisation would seek support from the administration in demanding funds equivalent to 5% of foreign exchange earned through export of Kashmiri handicraft for establishing such clusters.