Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu called upon government organisations and private sector institutions to support the artisans of the country in marketing and selling their products in India and abroad.
Noting that the biggest challenge to our talented artisans is the non-availability of marketing opportunities, Naidu suggested that museums, government buildings and large institutions should consider opening shops in their premises, thus providing opportunities to artisans to sell their products, read a release by the Vice President's Secretariat on Friday.
The Vice President also suggested voluntary organisations join hands with artisans to market their products online. "Specialised short-term courses may also be started to train the tribal youth in the technical know-how for online marketing", he added.
The Vice President, who is on a tour of the North East, arrived in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh today. During the day, he visited the Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum in Itanagar and was shown around the various sections and galleries in the museum, as per the release.
Later in a Facebook post, he recounted his experiences of the museum visit as 'enriching' and lauded the museum for being 'undoubtedly among the best ethnographic museums in the country, stated the press statement.
Among the various sections, Naidu had special words of praise for the "Mountaineering Gallery" set up in the Museum with an aim to develop the younger generation's interest in adventure and sports. He suggested other institutions and museums come up with similar initiatives, collaborate with local sporting icons and encourage the youth to take up sports and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Writing in his post, Naidu observed that "Arunachal Pradesh with its rich natural and cultural heritage, can be called a reservoir of handicraft. Different tribes have generations of expertise in various craft forms such as weaving, painting, basketry, mask-making, ivory-work, blacksmithy, doll-making, pottery and carpentry." He said the state's rich cultural heritage needs to be preserved.
( With inputs from ANI )
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