Jammu and Kashmir's Department of Handloom, with an aim to train unemployed youth in developing skills has generated employment for many in the Udhampur district.
Several people in the district have learned the traditional skill of weaving and are involved in the handloom sector.
"The main objective of the department is to provide training to unemployed youth. People who could not continue their studies and are interested in handloom, weaving, cutting and tailoring, are enrolled in training centres for one year. One centre in Udhampur of cutting and tailoring has a capacity of 15 students. There are four other centres of weaving and handloom here, with a capacity of 10 people," Narsingh Dayal Varma, Assistant Director, Department of Handloom told ANI.
After completing training, the department encourages people to take up the work and further helps in providing loans from banks under various schemes of the government, he stressed.
Skill up-gradation is a salient feature in boosting employment and giving people the means to earn their livelihood.
Neeraj Sharma, a handloom weaver from Tandhar village of Chenani block in Udhampur said that being a student himself, he has encouraged people in his village to learn the skill of traditional weaving, which has generated employment for many.
"Handloom has been our family business. Our forefathers have passed on the tradition to us. People have started earning from this," Sharma said.
He further stressed that people involved in traditional agriculture, which is a seasonal activity, take up handloom during the months when there is no work on fields, and manage to earn their livelihood throughout the year.
According to Sharma, the government has launched many schemes for the handloom sector, however, there is a need to create a channel for them to be availed.
Rajesh Kumar, another weaver in Tandhar village said that he went to Delhi to pursue training in handloom. After returning, he imparted training to several others.
"I have not studied much. Since I was a child, I have been involved in weaving in handloom. I have been a master here and have run a training centre for four months, twice. I have trained over 60 people in my village. For the past 23 years, I have been working on my business and have generated employment for many others here," Kumar said.
In order to enhance the sector, boost production and quality of handloom, Kumar is seeking the government's help to provide power looms.
Mohammad Arif, a local from Nagolta village reiterated that Kumar has given the opportunity to a lot of people to earn by training them. However, he said that there is a need for the latest technology to proliferate production.
( With inputs from ANI )
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