Recently,Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched two projects
Context
Recently,Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched two projects—
- Revival of Namda craft of Kashmir as a special pilot project under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 3.0
- upskilling of artisans and weavers of Kashmir under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), component of PMKVY.
What is Namda Craft?
- Namda craft is widely thought to have originated in the 11th century during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar.
- Namda craft is a rug made of sheep wool through a felting technique instead of the normal weaving process.
- Namda Craft is extensively used in Kashmir households for floor covering and mattresses.
Key-objective
- To boost and preserve the traditional Namda craft of Kashmir and upskill the local weavers and artisans to enhance their productivity through RPL assessment and certification.
- Due to low availability of raw material, lack of skilled manpower and marketing techniques, the export of this craft has declined almost 100 percent between 1998 and 2008.
- The Namda project will benefit 2,250 people of 30 Namda Clusters and RPL initiative targets to upskill 10,900 artisans and weavers of Jammu and Kashmir.
- This will also improve the access of existing artisans of Namda crafts cluster in Kashmir and will improve their prospects of employability.
