Budgam, June 28 (KNN) Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir UT Manoj Sinha inaugurated the Sukhnag Sozni Embroidery SFURTI Heritage Cluster of J&K Khadi and Village Industries Board in Magam town of Budgam district.

It is expected to cater the needs of about 500 artisans and deliver a holistic approach towards the development of Sozni craft from production to marketing stage, he said.

The Scheme of Funds for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) will focus on the maximum participation of women.

Emphasising on the several steps taken by the government to make the handicraft sector more competitive, Sinha said, “We are determined to ensure capacity building, foster innovation, best in class infrastructure, and easy access to credit and market.”

He said that policies initiated by the government has helped artisans get an opportunity to showcase their products at the national and international expo and receives better price for their products.

“Handicraft sector faced many challenges due to Covid but it certainly has the potential to take UT’s economic growth to a higher trajectory and to provide employment to a large pool of our youth,” he said.

The Lt Governor also awarded certificates to Artisans and Entrepreneurs for their outstanding performance under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program (PMEGP).  (KNN Bureau)