PM’s ‘vocal for local’ mantra effective mechanism for strengthening economy: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘vocal for local’ mantra has proved to be an effective mechanism for strengthening the economy and the vision of self-reliance, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Monday.

After inaugurating ‘Hunar Haat’, being organised at India International Trade Fair, Pragati Maidan, Naqvi said that during the Covid crisis, indigenous production capacity fulfilled domestic needs and became the “safety cover” for the Indian economy.

The minister said the country, which used to depend on foreign imports even for food grains, has now not only become self-reliant in food grains production but is also exporting food grains to the entire world.

India’s self-reliance in food grains production is a result of hardwork of our “Annadatas” (food providers) and the Modi government’s efforts to ensure “Aatmanirbhar Krishi Aur Krishak (self-reliant agriculture and farmer)”, Naqvi said.

Noting that India has become a major hub of the pharmacy sector, he said that within a year of the Covid pandemic, the country made the entire world realise its capability and strength in indigenous production by developing “Made in India” Covid vaccine, various medical equipment and other indigenous life-saving medicines to ensure the health and well-being of the people.

India’s traditional and ancestral legacy of handloom-handicraft has been promoted by Prime Minister Modi’s mantra of ‘vocal for local’ and “Swadeshi”, he said.

The prime minister’s mantra of ‘vocal for local’ has proved to be an effective mechanism for strengthening the Indian economy and the vision of self-reliance, the Union minister said.

The ‘Hunar Haat’ has not only made the artisans and craftsmen self-reliant, it has also strengthened the commitment to “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”, he said.

The ‘Hunar Haat’ at Pragati Maidaan here is the 33rd in a series of such exhibitions across the country, an official statement said.

More than 550 artisans and craftsmen from over 30 states/union territories are participating in the “Hunar Haat”, being organized at Hall No 3, Pragati Maidan from November 14-27 this year. The Haat was officially inaugurated on Monday.

With 300 stalls, this is the largest participation by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs in the India International Trade Fair.

Canara Bank has also set up a stall in the ‘Hunar Haat’ to provide easy loans to artisans and craftsmen for employment and self-employment, the statement said.

Naqvi said that the Hunar Haat’s virtual and online platform http://hunarhaat.org and GeM portal, better marketing linkages, new designs, better packaging, training and credit linkages have opened enormous opportunities for economic empowerment of artisans and craftspersons.

More than 6,75,000 artisans, craftspersons and people associated with them have been provided employment and employment opportunities through the ‘Hunar Haat’ in the last about six years.

Exquisite and elegant indigenous handmade products from states and union territories such as Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, are available for sale and display at the ‘Hunar Haat’ at the Pragati Maidan.

Various cultural and musical programmes by renowned artists will also be held at the “Hunar Haat” in an open auditorium at the Pragati Maidan every day.

The visitors will also enjoy a ‘circus’ at the “Hunar Haat” where the Indian artists will perform spectacular entertainment shows, the statement said.

The next editions of the ‘Hunar Haat’ will be held at Hyderabad (November 26 to December 5); Surat (December 10 to 19); and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi (December 22 to January 2, 2022).

‘Hunar Haats’ will also be organised in Mysuru, Guwahati, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Patna, Puducherry, Mumbai, Jammu, Chennai, Chandigarh, Agra, Prayagraj, Goa, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Kota, Sikkim, Srinagar, Leh, Shillong, Ranchi, Agartala and other places in the coming days.