Bokaro: CMD of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), Subhash Kumar virtually inaugurated the Mahratna’s 4th handicraft project on Friday to establish ‘Lac Handicrafts Unit for Training and Development’. The project, which is a part of the observance of India’s 75 years of Independence – Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, is expected to train and encourage artisans, mostly women, of the villages from in and around Khunti of Jharkhand, said Rajeev Prasad, Corporate Communication, ONGC (Jharkhand).
CMD noted that ONGC, through such initiatives in the rural parts of the country, is striving for incubating the art and cultural where they belong and bring the market to them. “These initiatives will lead to preserving our rich art and cultural heritage, and also bring economic sustainability to the artisans from the rural or tribal areas,” he said. CMD stated that the projects will not only lead to sustainable women empowerment but also help towards the country’s overall growth.
Director (HR) of ONGC, Alka Mittal said that connecting with the handicrafts industry in the tribal areas generates a sense of satisfaction and also has a business case by generating revenue, even through exports, for the country’s economy. Another, ONGC Director (Onshore) Anurag Sharma reiterated that such initiatives by ONGC will bring a holistic development of art and craft, and also in the lifestyle of the individual artisans, villages and consequently the nation as a whole.
CMD mentioned that ONGC’s 4th handicraft project at Khunti aims at establishing handicraft unit with six well-trained master trainers and 25 trainee artisans, who are mostly women. As a part of the observance of India’s 75 years of independence – Azadi Ki Amrit Mahotsav, CPSEs under the aegis Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas will take up 75 projects in different districts across the country. ONGC has taken the lead in this and is taking up 15 of the 75 projects and in the first phase five projects have been undertaken.
ONGC has launched four initiatives till now to revive the diminishing and struggling handicraft projects across the country to empower the local artisans.
