AP to train 770 handicraft artisans

Metro India News | AMARAVATI 

The Andhra Pradesh government, in collaboration with the Centre, has launched a program to provide specialized training to handicraft artisans to help them adapt traditional art forms to changing consumer preferences. State Minister for Handlooms and Textiles S. Savitha said the Centre has sanctioned Rs.1.35 crore for the initiative, under which 770 artisans from different districts would receive training based on their respective crafts.

The programs will be conducted for one or two months through cluster-based initiatives. The minister said the State government, under the leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, was taking several measures to strengthen traditional handicrafts and provide artisans with greater economic security.

The latest initiative would combine traditional craftsmanship with contemporary designs and improved production techniques. The training will be conducted under two programs — Guru-Shishya Hast Shilp Prashikshan (GHPP) and Design Development Workshops (DDW).

Artisans will be trained in crafts including wooden block making, Kalamkari block printing, Durgi stone carving, incense-stick making, palm-leaf and coconut-shell crafts, Srikalahasti Kalamkari, wood carving, terracotta, handmade knitted goods, Allagadda stone carving, bamboo and cane crafts, Savara tribal painting, Bobbili veena and imitation.