Srinagar, Nov 20: The Handicrafts and Handloom department on Sunday said it took a cognizance of the viral video circulating on social media wherein a carpet weaver Mohd Maqbool Dar from Ashtangoo Bandipora was found burning a carpet.
The department said that on Sunday it deputed a team which included the representatives from J&K Kashmir Arts Emporium to ascertain the factual position and to effect purchase to relieve the distress of the artisan.
“It was found by the inspection team that there was absolutely no inventory of carpets with the concerned person which could have been purchased by J&K Arts Emporium as per their purchase policy,” the H&H department said in a statement. “It was also noticed by the team that the carpet which was shown being burnt in the video, had already been damaged in the alleged fire incident in January 2022 and was not a fresh carpet, as claimed by him in the video.”
During the inspection, it came to the fore that the Department of Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir through Indian Institute of Carpet Technology (IICT) has already extended necessary support to the Delight Industrial Cooperative being headed by Mohd Maqbool Dar, the statement said, adding, “The Institute has provided 5 modern carpet looms, 10 sitting benches, working tools, 20 solar lanterns, silk yarn worth Rs 3 lakh along with computerized carpet designs, absolutely free of cost under a Centrally-Sponsored Scheme.”
The department added, “The person in question has also been paid an amount of Rs 50,000 from time to time by the IICT under the same scheme for monitoring and supervising the work of Industrial Cooperative. Further, Directorate of Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir have given the concerned artisan ample opportunities in various exhibitions conducted from time to time.”
As a matter of fact, the Department of Handicrafts and Handloom has taken many steps such as GI Tagging of carpets, fixation of minimum support price for carpets, financial assistance to registered industrial cooperatives, artisan credit cards, etc. for the development of the sector and many more initiatives are in offering, the H&H department said.
