Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday said the government would support the traditional weavers and artisans by giving them an annual financial assistance of ₹10,000 each and also help them market their products through the online store of the AP State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society (APCO) and the webstore of Lepakshi which have global reach. Their products would be made available on Amazon, Flipkart and other e-commerce platforms, he said.
He was speaking after launching online facility to market Apco handlooms and Lepakshi handicrafts.
Mr. Jagan asked the Collectors to direct the village volunteers to identify handloom weavers and artisans and enlist their names and details. Stating that the condition of traditional weavers and artisans was in dire straits and that they needed government support, he said the Collectors should devise the welfare programme which would be launched by February.
It may be noted here that The Hindu had published a story last week on the plight of the artisans making wooden toys.
Andhra Pradesh is one of the richest States with around two lakh craft persons scattered in around 20 major and 100 minor crafts clusters in different districts.
Lepakshi has 17 showrooms, including one each at Kolkata, Delhi and Hyderabad and around 350 items are displayed in the e-commerce web portal in various crafts. Major crafts of the State in the webstore include Kondapally and Etikoppaka toys, wood carvings, Udayagiri cutlery, Kalamkari paintings and Kalamkari block paintings, Bobbili veena and crochet lace.
Through the support of the government, the department has set a target of ₹1 crore sale through the e-commerce platform in the current financial year.