Gandhinagar: Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad will be training artisans from 13 districts of Gujarat in the field of entrepreneurship and business development under the aegis of Hastkala Setu Yojna, supported by Cottage and Rural Industries Dept., Govt. of Gujarat. The institute will be conducting ‘Entrepreneurship Awareness Camp” and “Entrepreneurship Development Programme” in these districts to provide hands on training and guidance to around 9000 artisans.

The project will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, Jamnagar, Kutch, Rajkot and Surendranagar districts were covered. While in the second phase Patan, Mehsana, Junagadh, Vadodara, Dahod, Narmada and Valsad are being targeted.

So far, EDII has conducted 465 Entrepreneurship Awareness Camps where around 12000 artisans have been benefited. In addition, it has also conducted 50 Entrepreneurship Development Programmes where 1533 beneficiaries have been trained to hone their skills.

Speaking about the programme, Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General of EDII, said, “EDII has been working closely with handloom and handicraft sector since more than a decade now. Through research and understanding of the ground reality of these artisans, we have developed a plan which involves upgrading their skills, introducing new-age marketing strategies, ensuring increased credit availability, impressing upon the younger generation about the viability of the sector and so on. These steps are aimed at improving the income and quality of life of these artisans as well promoting the unique art and craft which otherwise will go into oblivion in these ever evolving markets of today.”

Apart from providing inputs in the domains of modernizing the craft, market access, and credit linkages, EDII is also helping these artisans in presenting their products across India through physical and virtual exhibitions