Karaikudi (TN), December 12: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram stressed the need for encouraging artisans by buying their products so that the traditional profession of handcrafts manufacturing did not perish.
“Traditional industries of the country should not be allowed to perish,” he said inaugurating the Rs 2.80 crore new campus of the Canara Bank Institute for Artisans here in his native district of Sivaganga.
He said the Union Rural Development Department had provided a grant of Rs one crore for the institute which would have a hostel and education and training centres.
Canara Bank Chairman and Managing Director A C Mahajan said the institute, functioning at a rented building, had trained 113 candidates with a settlement rate of 70 per cent.
Stating that all could not get government or company jobs, he said encouragement should be made to teach carpentry sculpting etc.
–Agencies