Two flower-shaped silver items, their easy and stylish central design speckled with lapis lazuli blue—the gulabi meenakari cufflinks and an identical brooch, the latter with a peacock motif, had been selected with care prior to High Minister Narendra Modi talented them to US President Joe Biden and US first girl Jill Biden on the G-7 summit in Germany in overdue June. Then there have been the items of black pottery, polished to a subdued gleam and taking a look as outstanding as objets d’artwork from the palace of an historical potentate. The recipient used to be Eastern PM Fumio Kishida. Others leaders like French president Emmanuel Macron, Italian premier Mario Draghi and German chancellor Olaf Scholz were given ornate zari zardozi embroidered packing containers, marble inlay desk tops and hand-crafted tea units. The golden thread that stitches those treasures in combination is they had been all created completely by means of Uttar Pradesh’s artisans, operating beneath Leader Minister Yogi Adityanath’s bold programme to restore conventional craft—the ODOP (One District One Product) scheme. It has no longer handiest given a fillip to ignored crafts, the scheme has additionally set the tone for a gentle build up in exports from UP. It comes beneath the MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) division.
Two flower-shaped silver items, their easy and stylish central design speckled with lapis lazuli blue—the gulabi meenakari cufflinks and an identical brooch, the latter with a peacock motif, had been selected with care prior to High Minister Narendra Modi talented them to US President Joe Biden and US first girl Jill Biden on the G-7 summit in Germany in overdue June. Then there have been the items of black pottery, polished to a subdued gleam and taking a look as outstanding as objets d’artwork from the palace of an historical potentate. The recipient used to be Eastern PM Fumio Kishida. Others leaders like French president Emmanuel Macron, Italian premier Mario Draghi and German chancellor Olaf Scholz were given ornate zari zardozi embroidered packing containers, marble inlay desk tops and hand-crafted tea units. The golden thread that stitches those treasures in combination is they had been all created completely by means of Uttar Pradesh’s artisans, operating beneath Leader Minister Yogi Adityanath’s bold programme to restore conventional craft—the ODOP (One District One Product) scheme. It has no longer handiest given a fillip to ignored crafts, the scheme has additionally set the tone for a gentle build up in exports from UP. It comes beneath the MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) division.
Graphic: Tanmoy Chakraborty
All this task has observed UP’s exports build up by means of a whopping 80 according to cent in price prior to now 5 years. Historically-made ODOP merchandise have performed a number one function—70 according to cent of the goods exported from the state come beneath its ambit, in keeping with state executive data. In 2017-18, the price of UP’s exports used to be Rs 88,967.4 crore; it’s Rs 1,56, 897.2 crore for 2021-22. Even all over the pandemic, the state’s exports noticed a upward thrust of 30 according to cent, in large part pushed by means of (each the net and offline) sale of ODOP merchandise. The scheme, began in 2018, has no longer handiest safe the livelihood of artisans, but in addition gave them the rationale and trust to restore conventional crafts that had been nearing extinction. It additionally stopped many in their practitioners from migrating to different states.
In Azamgarh’s Nizamabad the town, over 200 artisans now make pottery. Their numbers had fallen to twenty prior to ODOP took impact
Sohit Prajapati, a 42-year-old black pottery artisan founded in Azamgarh who previous bought bhel-puri in Mumbai, returned in 2017 to his wheel. At one level, Sohit pondered a transfer again to Mumbai, however stayed on when call for for his ware, and earnings, shot up after he registered with the ODOP scheme. Beneath it, Sohit were given monetary support and lend a hand in promoting his merchandise on nationwide and world platforms. Sohit says his source of revenue has tripled prior to now 4 years. This present day, he has orders from a number of nations, together with the USA and UAE. In Azamgarh’s Nizamabad the town, over 200 artisans are actually engaged in making black pottery. Their numbers had dwindled to twenty prior to the ODOP scheme took impact.
The turning level
Manoj Vishwakarma, a 36-year-old Varanasi-based sixth-generation gulabi meenakari—a GI-tagged artwork shape—artisan tells india nowadays that when seeing many fellow artisans quitting, he virtually determined to observe go well with. From a nadir in 2018, when gulabi meenakari paintings virtually flooring to a halt in Varanasi, the turnaround within the lives of artistes like Vishwakarma used to be miraculous. Right here, too, the credit score is going to ODOP. Vishwakarma’s industry simply took off after he were given monetary support and steering from mavens via ODOP. “Previous, we used to do gulabi meenakari on merchandise like hand-made peacocks, and idols of gods. Via mavens, we were given to know the way to style cufflinks,” he says with delight.
The ODOP scheme used to be introduced by means of Yogi Adityanath on January 24, 2018 to make product-specific conventional hubs in every of UP’s 75 districts. Its purpose is the safety, enlargement and revival of native handicraft and experience, thus combating migration to city centres as a result of the loss of employment. In all, 62 conventional crafts had been known.
Consistent with Navneet Sehgal, uploaditional leader secretary, MSME, “ODOP is reviving conventional handicraft and has helped build up the state’s exports. We now have the biggest selection of MSMEs within the nation, the bulk within the unorganised sector.” Sehgal provides that if it is carpet weaving, wooden carving or leather-based paintings, artisans operating in those outdated industries are being inspired to get on board on-line platforms to be able to acquire publicity to a much broader marketplace. Commonplace Facility Centres (CFCs), which give staff with a variety of lend a hand, are to be arrange in all districts.
Sunil Kumar, joint commissioner, ODOP, explains: “The federal government supplies a 25 according to cent subsidy on loans allotted beneath this scheme and trains artisans. CFCs are taking part in the most important function within the building of those merchandise. A CFC has the entire amenities required for grading, packing and storing ODOP merchandise beneath one roof. We now have 5 centres, 28 extra are sanctioned. Ernst & Younger are undertaking experts of the scheme and feature performed research of all districts/ merchandise. They counsel inventions to artisans in order that their merchandise acquire traction on world platforms.”
The state executive signed an MoU with e-commerce website online Flipkartwork in 2020 to promote ODOP merchandise at the website online, having previous tied up with Amazon. ODOP officers say that merchandise value Rs 1,600 crore were bought via Flipkart prior to now two years. ODOP additionally has its personal on-line platform to promote merchandise. The UP Handicrafts Development and Advertising Company has introduced an e-marketplace,www.odopmart.com, to promote them. ODOP has tied up with the High quality Council of India to standardise high quality in addition to with the Nationwide Institute of Type Generation to give a boost to design. For Yogi Adityanath, “ODOP is a logo of UP’s heritage.” The manager minister makes it some degree to present reward hampers of ODOP merchandise to big visitors so far as imaginable.
The ODOP scheme is a luck, however some districts desire a leg-up. The up leather-based trade’s issues will have to be fastened too
Ashfaq Ali, a resident of Sitapur, who works as an artisan at a CFC, talks of the way he used to be previous in Panipat, making cotton dhurries. However upon getting a task right here, he’s staying put. His colleague Karimullah, who spent 8 years in Panipat, says, “I got here to Sitapur all over the lockdown. After a couple of weeks, I were given the similar form of employment right here.” Hayat Kausar, secretary of CFC Sitapur, claims that such centres are serving to artisans to stick on. “Sitapur is known for dhurries. For making dhurries, we’ve got complicated machines just like the tornado for doubling the threads, Jacquard for designing and tufting for the general design,” he says.
Although the ODOP scheme has taken off wonderfully, it’s no longer an unqualified luck, since some districts nonetheless desire a leg-up. Then there’s UP’s all-important leather-based trade. Although export of leather-based items is projected as the most important a part of ODOP, the trade founded in and round Kanpur is going through more than one demanding situations. Those vary from a paucity of professional labour to loss of design functions and the unavailability of high quality and inexpensive equipment. Sehgal says, “We’re fixing the problems of tannery house owners and connecting them extra with ODOP consumers. As leather-based is in massive call for, they are able to make up for the losses all over the pandemic.” Sehgal additionally mentions the newly introduced OSOP (one station one product) plan at the traces of ODOP. Beneath this, railway stations throughout UP will function promotional hubs, showcasing the state’s ODOP scheme. As a part of this initiative, ODOP merchandise of respective districts can be displayed on the most-visited platform of all railway stations in that exact district. As an example, if a teach is passing via Ayodhya district, all its railway stations will show the ODOP merchandise of Ayodhya. On this manner, the ones districts that also want lend a hand within the promotion in their merchandise can be coated, provides Sehgal. The beautiful craftsmanship on show in ODOP merchandise deserve each give a boost to. n