New Delhi, April 22 (KNN) Reliance Retail has announced that it will embark on several new initiatives to showcase authentic handcrafted products and promote Indian art forms globally. The programme will be headed by Reliance Retail’s brand, ‘Swadesh’, an artisan-only dedicated store format for handcrafted products from across the country. 

The initiatives, as mentioned by the company, are aimed to revive the various traditional Indian art and craft forms. It will house a range of products including textiles, handicrafts, agriculture products and other artisanal merchandise. 

These items will be directly sourced from the artisans. Swadesh will also build a global marketplace to connect Indian artisans and sellers of authentic handmade products.

Isha Ambani, Director, Reliance Retail Ventures said,  “Reliance Retail and Reliance Foundation have also aligned to identify core epicenters for the various indigenous crafts and will set up RiSE centres, a robust network of skill development centres to ensure reach at grassroots level and to contribute in sustaining artisan communities and art forms,”.

Reliance Foundation Initiative for Skill Enhancement (RiSE) centres will be set up across states to promote India’s heritage. The company said that these centres will leverage the existing network and schemes of the Handloom/Handicraft ministry to provide maximum benefit to artisans.

Reliance Retail will partner with various government organizations to help popularize local art forms, both nationally and globally.

The company has already signed an MoU with the Ministry of Textiles, enabling the sourcing of 100 percent authentic crafted products directly from the communities. Another MoU has been signed with the Department of MSME & Textiles, Government of West Bengal to realize the vision of sustainable employment. (KNN Bureau)