President Droupadi Murmu confers National Handicrafts Awards in New Delhi
President Droupadi Murmu has conferred the National Handicrafts Awards for 2023 and 2024 in New Delhi. These prestigious national accolades celebrate exceptional artistic mastery and underscore the Government’s commitment to preserving and promoting India’s rich and diverse handicraft heritage.
Addressing the gathering, the President said that art connects people to various cultures and to one another. She noted that handicraft is not just a cultural identity but also an important component of people’s livelihoods. She noted that the sector provides employment to over 32 lakh people in the country, and most of them belong to rural areas.
President Murmu highlighted that 68 percent women are in the workforce of Handicraft sector and development of this sector will also ensure women’s empowerment. The President expressed happiness as 20 craftswomen received the awards today.
While speaking on the occasion, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh said the recent reduction in the GST rates from 18 percent to 5 percent is also benefiting the sector, adding that the decision is taking Indian handicrafts from villages to the global market. Talking about the exports, the Minister said that the government has set the target of 1 lakh crore rupees in export of these products by 2031-32.
For 2023, the Shilp Guru Award in the hand-painted textiles category was presented to Ajit Kumar Das of West Bengal, while D Sivamma from Andhra Pradesh received the award in the leather puppet category.
The National Awards for 2023 were conferred to Hirabai Jhareka Baghel of Chhattisgarh for metal craft, Imtiyaz Ahamad of Uttar Pradesh for handmade carpet, and Roshan Chhipa from Rajasthan for artistic textiles. For 2024, the Shilp Guru Award was presented to Subhash Arora from Haryana in Metal Craft category, and Mohammad Dilshad from Uttar Pradesh in wood carving category. The National Awards for 2024 were given to T Baskaran of Tamil Nadu for stone carving, Rupban Chitrakar from West Bengal for painting, and Baldev Baghmare of Madhya Pradesh under the tribal artisans category.
A total of 12 artisans received the Shilp Guru Awards for 2023 and 2024, while 36 craftsmen got the National Awards for both years.
