Commissioner/Secretary, Industries Ladakh, Saugat Biswas reviewed the functioning of the Handloom and Handicraft Departments at Conference Hall Baroo, Kargil on December 6.

Joint Director Handloom and Handicraft Department, Lakshay Singhal, and Additional Director, Planning Tashi Dolma attended the meeting from Leh online.

Commissioner/Secretary, Saugat Biswas interacted with trainers and trainees of the Handloom and Handicraft Departments and took a detailed review of work progress and output.

Issues concerning Handloom and Handicrafts, Comprehensive Handicraft Policy, and Action Plan were discussed in detail. He also took a review of the functioning of the various training centres operating in different locations of district Kargil.

A comprehensive capacity building of trainers of both the Kargil and Leh districts will be undertaken after the training need assessment of every trainer. This capacity building will be undertaken in the winter months.

Biswas stressed that the purpose of training artisans in both Handloom and Handicrafts training centers is to develop the trainees into successful entrepreneurs. He assured that Industries Department Ladakh will assist successfully trained artisans under various schemes.

The Commissioner/Secretary enquired in detail about the staffing pattern in the Handloom and Handicraft Departments and reviewed the roles of Superintendents, Supervisors, Trainers and Trainees of different centers. Biswas directed the Joint Director of Handloom and Handicraft to ensure biometric attendance at all training centres in Leh and Kargil and submission of daily reports of attendance. He directed the Training Coordinators to create WhatsApp groups to share the attendance of employees and to sort out the issues of the trainees.

Biswas said the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of both Handloom and Handicraft Departments should be rigid to achieve the goals. He directed the quick implementation of the online inventory management system for Handloom and Handicrafts departments by end of December 2022. The new online system developed by the department will ensure speed and transparency in the functioning of the training set-up. He emphasised that there should be complete transparency in terms of payments, work and attendance at all training centres.

While interacting with the trainees, they raised some issues and difficulties which they are facing which include servicing of machines and their upgradation, stipend, etc. 

The District officers will rationalize the placement of instructors in all the training centres including the newly developed Common Facility Centres (CFCs). He also instructed rational deployment of new machinery being procured under SDP in the new Common Facility Centres (CFCs). 

Earlier in the day, Biswas visited the new Common Facility Centre (CFC) at Trespone and interacted with the trainees and users of the CFC for more than an hour. 

The district officers were instructed for early operationalization of all the new machines and training of instructors on the new machines. The trainees expressed deep gratitude to the UT Administration for providing the latest expensive machines for the people as a first-time initiative.