New Delhi:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday distributed 100 electric potter wheels to as many trained artisans under the Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, in a bid to strengthen the potters community. Shah distributed the electric chaaks in Balva village of the Kalol taluka in his parliamentary constituency of Gandhinagar via video-conferencing.
“Lauding the Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana, the home minister said the initiative would go a long way in strengthening the marginalised potters’ community while also reviving the traditional art of pottery,” an official statement said. He also interacted with five potters – Ashok Bhai Prajapati, Rajesh Bhai Prajapati, Jayanti Bhai Prajapati, Surekhaben Prajapati and Velji Bhai Prajapati – who have been given a 10-day training by the KVIC in pottery making.
“I am glad to see the change that has ushered in the lives of our potters. Our government at the Centre is always concerned for better livelihood of the Prajapati community. The distribution of electric chaak is a gift from our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) to the people of Gujarat,” Shah said. The home minister assured the potters that arrangements, including tie-up with the railway, will be made to provide proper marketing channel for selling their products, the statement said.
KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said more than 17,000 electric chaaks have so far been distributed across the country benefiting nearly 70,000 people of the potters’ community. “This has impacted the lives of potters in a big way. With electric chaaks, the production of clay items has increased manifold. At present, nearly 2 crore kulhars are made every day across the country,” Saxena said.
He added that potters are successfully selling these kulhars at 400 railway stations. Several regions of Gujarat, particularly Kutch and Saurashtra, are well-known for the traditional pottery art. Since the launch of the Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana in 2018, the KVIC has trained nearly 750 potters from different villages in Gujarat.
In the Gandhinagar district, KVIC has trained 100 potters and distributed 100 electric potter wheels and 10 blunger machines. The average income of potters under the Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana has gone now up from nearly Rs 3,000 per month earlier to nearly Rs 10,000 per month.
