Hastakala Setu Yojana wins SKOCH award for handicraft training

The Government of Gujarat’s handloom and handicraft training initiative Hastkala Setu Yojana has won a gold medal SKOCH award in the category ‘Ease of Doing Business’. The project was recognised for its upskilling of rural artisans across Gujarat. 

The project was chosen from 42 state government projects after three rounds of selection to win the award, the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India announced in a press release on July 13. The Hastkala Setu Yojana is carried out by the state government’s ‘Commissionerate of Cottage and Rural Industries’ and implemented by the EDII.
 
“The Sate gets its identity from its handicraft and handloom legacy,” said the Government of Gujarat’s secretary and commissioner for cottage and rural industries Pravin Solanki in a press release. “It is our responsibility to nurture these crafts and see them flourish.  And, so the Government decided to work towards upskilling the weavers and artisans in the domain, with the help of institutes, like EDII. I am happy that all our efforts showed results and we finally see them developing new designs, adopting modern methods, using their knowledge and resorting to multiple modern methods and online platforms to promote and sell their products. There is clearly an ‘ease of doing business’ that has come about.”

The theme for the 93rd SKOCH awards was ‘State of Governance 2047’ and the winners were announced following a final panel session and question and answer session. According to the EDII, the SKOCH award is, “India’s highest independent civilian honour”. 
 
“With e-commerce and social media completely transforming the business landscape globally, it is imperative for rural entrepreneurs to remain abreast of these technological advances and the massive opportunities these alone can bring to them,” said EDII’s director general Sunil Shukla. “It is equally important to ensure that rural artisans keep pace with these changes and equip themselves to remain sustainable. EDII is handholding entrepreneurs, under the Hast Kala Yojana Project, to enhance their skills and knowledge, give them newer markets and promote ease of reaching out to customers.  Today, they are making innovative, marketable products with high demand.”