The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rural artisans to display wares

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Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Rural artisans to display wares

Special Correspondent

Cottage industries exhibition to begin on Thursday
Two rural business hubs to be set up in State

BANGALORE: To provide a market for rural artisans, the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj will hold a national exhibition of cottage industries, Cauvery Saras 2008, from March 20 to April 2 at the National College Grounds in Basavanagudi here.

Principal Secretary to the department K. Jairaj told presspersons here on Tuesday that Governor Rameshwar Thakur would inaugurate the exhibition on Thursday.

Apart from the State, artisans from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Orissa would participate in the exhibition. Artisans who are part of the Swarna Jayanti Grama Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) would participate in the exhibition, Mr. Jairaj said.

SGSY Joint Director K.I. Gudagi said the Centre released Rs. 90 crore to the State under the SGSY in 2007-08. As many as 63,792 artisans had benefited from the scheme in the current fiscal year while 35,460 had done so last year. Banks had disbursed loans totalling Rs. 124 crore to the beneficiaries for self-employment activities. Out of the Rs. 124 crore, Rs. 52 crore was meant to be paid as subsidy.

The department was expecting Rs. 180 crore from the Centre under the scheme in the coming fiscal year, he said.

Rural business hubs

Mr. Jairaj said the Centre had accepted the department’s proposals to establish rural business hubs in Chennarayapatna and Bidar for marketing toys and Bidriware products respectively. Detailed project reports would be prepared soon and the hubs would be established in another six months with financial aid from the Centre.

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