Helping craftsmen recognise their own potential can boost their confidence: Kejriwal

New Delhi, Jun 13 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday emphasised on acknowledging the creativity and skill set of craftsmen as a means to scale up the handicraft industry, asserting his government will take every possible step to strengthen the community in the city.

He was speaking after presenting the ‘State Award’ to outstanding handicraft artisans of Delhi at an event here.

“By helping craftsmen recognise their own creative potential and nurturing their skill set, we can boost their confidence and enable them to contribute to the growth of the industry,” Kejriwal was quoted as saying in a statement issued by his office.

The city government will take every possible step to strengthen the handicraft artist community in Delhi, he said.

Kejriwal pointed out that unemployment was an issue facing the nation at the moment and that the handicraft sector could play an important role in providing jobs to people.

“I firmly believe that craftsmanship in the handicraft sector can play a key role if it is given the right kind of impetus by the state government,” he said.

The chief minister said prior to coming for the event, he discussed this matter with Delhi Industry Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and the secretary of the department.

“They informed me to encourage artists, the Delhi government provides venues to them to display their artworks, such as ‘Dilli Haat’. But I’d also like to know what more we can do for our artist community,” he said.

The Delhi government confers these awards to craftsmen in recognition of their outstanding contribution, craftsmanship and development of craft. There are two categories of awards — State Award (with a cash prize of Rs 30,000 and a certificate) and State Merit Awards (with a cash prize of Rs 20,000 and a certificate), the statement said.

Kejriwal presented the awards to winners in both the categories for the year 2020 and 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these awards could not be presented to the deserving candidates earlier, it said.

On Tuesday, a total of 16 candidates were presented with the awards — eight candidates each for 2020 and 2021. Out of these, three people were presented the State Award while five candidates were given the State Merit Award for both the successive years, the statement said.