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Steps to increase export of handmade paper

Special Correspondent

KVIC for technology upgradation

Puducherry: Chief Executive Officer of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) C. Chandran said that steps were taken to enhance export of handmade paper and paper products in the XI Plan to Rs. 100 crore to European Union and the U.S. and other countries.

Speaking to newsmen here on Monday on the sidelines of the one-day all India technical seminar on "Handmade paper and Fibre Industry" held at the Community Hall in JIPMER, Mr. Chandran said that presently the export was around Rs. 40 crore.

The KVIC was performing as Export Promotion Council. Around Rs. 500 crore worth of handmade paper and products were now produced in the country annually and nearly 40,000 workers were engaged in the industry.

Handmade paper was an eco-friendly product and did not consume forest wealth unlike the mill sector. With a view to encourage the youth to get skill in village industries and rural engineering, the KVIC had drawn up plans to associate itself with the Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) in different parts of the country. Thirty-two centres under Multi-Departmental Training Scheme were also functioning through the KVIC.

Mr. Chandran said that the Scheme for Revival of Traditional Industries (SFRTI) had ensured establishment of 109 industrial clusters, which would provide facilities such as pulp making, paper conversion, quality control, testing and training.

Trade fairs were held periodically within the country and abroad to popularise handmade paper.

Each of the clusters would be granted an assistance of Rs.1 crore.

He said that in the XI plan, Rs.1,000 crore would be needed to meet credit requirements and subsidies for the introduction of projects under various schemes of the KVIC.

Around 100 delegates participated in the seminar held earlier. Secretary to Puducherry Government T.M. Balakrishnan, Deputy CEO of the KVIC K.K. Gupta and Deputy Director R.S. Sagar participated.

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