J&K's handloom department trains unemployed youth in Udhampur, boosts job opportunities

The Department of Handloom in Jammu and Kashmir, which aims to teach unemployed youth in developing skills, has created jobs for people in the Udhampur district. Several residents of the district have learnt traditional weaving skills and work in the handloom industry.

J&K generates employment for youth 

Narsingh Dayal Varma, Assistant Director, Department of Handloom, stated, "The main objective of the department is to provide training to unemployed youth. People who could not continue their studies and are interested in handloom, weaving, cutting, and tailoring are enrolled in training centres for one year. One centre in Udhampur of cutting and tailoring has a capacity of 15 students. There are four other centres of weaving and handloom here, with a capacity of 10 people."

He highlighted that after completing training, the agency encourages people to work and also assists in obtaining loans from banks under various government initiatives.

Upgrading one's skills is a critical component of increasing employment and providing people with the means to support themselves. Neeraj Sharma, a handloom weaver from Udhampur's Chenani block's Tandhar village, claimed that as a student, he has pushed people in his area to study traditional weaving, which has provided jobs for many.

Sharma noted, "Handloom has been our family business. Our forefathers have passed on the tradition to us. People have started earning from this."

Handloom department generates employment

He went on to say that those who engage in traditional agriculture, which is a seasonal industry, take up handloom during the months when there is no work on the fields and can earn a living all year. According to Sharma, the government has introduced a number of handloom-related initiatives, but there is a need to build a route via which they can be accessed.

Another weaver in Tandhar village, Rajesh Kumar, said he had travelled to Delhi for handloom instruction. Following his return, he taught weaving to many others. Kumar noted, "I have not studied much. Since I was a child, I have been involved in weaving and handloom. I have been a master here and have run a training centre for four months, twice. I have trained over 60 people in my village. For the past 23 years, I have been working on my business and have generated employment for many others here."

(with inputs from ANI)

Picture Credit: ANI