Exhibition-cum-Sale of Handicraft and Handloom products from the North Eastern States of India was inaugurated on Monday by Union Minister of State for Textiles (I/C), Santosh Kumar Gangwar in New Delhi.

Gangwar at the inauguration occassion said that this is the first organized effort to bring modern ready-made garment industry in the North East, and a significant step towards the Make in India initiative of the Government.

He also spoke of the initiative by the Ministry of Textiles to set up an Apparel and Garment Making Centre in all eight states in the North Eastern Region. The project, which comes under the North-East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS), will develop entrepreneurship through various capacity building measures and also train the people to work efficiently on high-end garment machines.

Each Apparel and Garment Making Centre set up under the initiative is estimated to generate direct employment for 1,200 people. It will help develop an ecosystem that will trigger further investments and employment.

The Centres in Tripura and Nagaland have already been inaugurated, while work is in progress in the remaining six states, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said that this is a landmark event to showcase the rich variety of textiles, handicrafts and bamboo furniture and artifacts of the North Eastern Region (NER).

He said that the 'Purbashree' stall was inaugurated at Dilli Haat earlier this month. The Dilli Haat stall on permanent basis, devoted exclusively to the North East, has been set up by the North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation Ltd (NEHHDC) to give further boost to the development and promotion of North East handicrafts and handloom products.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has also encouraged setting up of start-ups and hoped that exhibitions like this will promote new ventures in cottage industry in the NER.

On the occasion Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Dr Jitendra Singh launched a Coffee Table book titled “Celebrating Cottage – A Tribute to Indian Crafts and Craftpersons” and a "Cottage Mobile App". Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Naveen Verma, and Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Ms. Rashmi Verma, were the 'Guests of Honour' at the function.

The Exhibition-cum-Sale of exclusive products, specially created by award-winning craft persons, master craft persons and Shilp-Gurus from North Eastern States of India, is being organised by the Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India (CCI) Ltd at the CCI Emporium.

The ambit of products showcased in the exhibition include a wide range of high quality handcrafted and authentic range of bamboo handicrafts, grass handicrafts, cane handicrafts, handloom textiles & made ups, pottery and jewellery, representing the crafts traditions and cultural ethos of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. The exhibition is accompanied by live demonstration by invited craftpersons in an effort to display the nuances of glorious craft traditions and their making from the North Eastern States of India.

The fortnight-long event is a joint endeavour undertaken by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) and Ministry of Textiles. It will remain open to the public till June 12, 2016, from 10.00 AM to 7.00 PM daily.