SRINAGAR, FEBRUARY 15: This year’s special exposition of handloom products organised annually by the J&K Handloom Development Department began here Saturday.

The exposition which is being held at Kashmir Haat in Srinagar was inaugurated by District Development Commissioner Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary.

Several handloom cooperative societies and registered handloom weavers and artisans have set up their stalls of genuine handloom products at the special exposition.

The DDC visited all stalls set up at the exposition and interacted with handloom weavers and artisans having set up their stalls at the exposition. He urged the weavers to produce GI certified pashmina products to preserve this world famous heritage art.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Shahid who is also the CEO Srinagar Smart City Limited or SSCL said the district administration in association with the SSCL will help develop a platform for online marketing of handloom products of registered weavers and artisans of the district.

Some 30 cooperative societies from both Kashmir and Jammu divisions participated in the special exposition which will be held for two-weeks upto February 29.

The annual exposition is an attempt to provide marketing opportunities and a platform to weavers for selling handloom products produced in J&K. It also provides opportunities to customers to buy the world famous products – like kani, pashmina and raffal shawls among other handloom products – directly from producers and at genuine prices.

Director Handloom Development Department Babila Rakwal, Joint Director (Kashmir) Dr Nargis Suraya and Assistant Directors Shazia Rehman, Hakim Tahir and Kashif Altaf were also present on the occasion.

On the occasion the Handloom Development department highlighted implementation of government’s various developmental schemes for the weaver community.

It was informed that so far during the current fiscal the department has released around 270 lakh rupees to around 2700 weavers under the Interest Subsidy scheme, around 25 lakh to 21 societies under the Promotion & Marketing Intervention scheme, around 13 lakh under the 10% Special Rebate scheme to 19 societies and around 5 lakh to 39 societies under the Purchase, Renovation and Modernisation of Looms scheme.

It was also informed that during the said fiscal the department has also sponsored some 1200 cases of handloom weavers for providing them bank loans under the MUDRA scheme.