Handicraft clusters to come up in Hoshiarpur, Bathinda

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, August 2

To promote handicraft and strengthen the traditional industry, the state government would develop handicrafts cluster in Hoshiarpur and Bathinda.

Attempts would be made to revive wooden inlay handicraft in Hoshiarpur at a cost of Rs 1.42 crore. The work on the clusters would start from the next month and state-of-the-art machines would be set up at Boothgarh village in the district.

Cabinet Minister Sundar Sham Arora said, “Hoshiarpur had a distinct identity related to ivory inlay carving and wooden inlay handicraft. After a ban on ivory, plastic was used for carving. The state government has formed a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to revive this industry.”

He said, “Under this scheme, 25 per cent expenditure will be incurred by the SPV and 75 per cent by the state government.”

Arora said villages, including Boothgarh, Bassi Ghulam Hussain, Basi Mudka, Piplanwala, Bajwara Chhota, Bajwara Bada, Chhawni Kalan, Nangal Shahidan, Navi Bassi, Salwara, Bassi Kikkaran, Adamwal, Kakkon and Navi Abadi, would be a part of the cluster. Around 150 families from these villages would take advantage of this cluster.

He said machinery related to wood inlay, including CNC machine, router machine, panel saw, laser machine, wood saw machine and planer, would be installed.

Arora said with the establishment of these clusters in Hoshiarpur and Bathinda, numerous employment opportunities would be created in the state.

Reviving traditional industry

• In Hoshirapur, villages including Boothgarh, Bassi Ghulam Hussain, Basi Mudka, Piplanwala, Bajwara Chhota, Bajwara Bada, Chhawni Kalan, Nangal Shahidan, Navi Bassi, Salwara, Bassi Kikkaran, Adamwal, Kakkon and Navi Abadi, will be a part of the cluster
• Machinery related to wood inlay, including CNC machine, router machine, panel saw, laser machine, wood saw machine and planer, will be installed

.