India lays foundation stone for handicrafts village in Hambantota
Thursday, 24 October 2013 00:00
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The foundation stone for a handicrafts village at Hambantota was laid by Indian High Commissioner Y.K. Sinha and Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprises Development Douglas Devananda at a brief ceremony held in Hambantota on 23 October 2013.
Hambantota Consul General of India Raghunathan, Secretary to the Ministry of Traditional Industries Sivagnanasothy, National Crafts Council Chairman Buddhi Keerthisena and several other senior government officials participated in the event.
Assisting craftsmen
The project, to be implemented at a cost of Rs. 20 million, is expected to be completed by February 2014. It is expected to assist a large number of craftsmen in Hambantota, who are engaged in producing traditional handicraft items using raw materials from sea-shells, cane, pottery and wood carvings, but do have not adequate avenues to market their produce effectively.
The handicrafts village will bring together traditional craftsmen and their produce on one side and the customers and tourists on the other, for mutual benefit. The project is anticipated to provide a welcome boost to the local handicrafts sector and enhance livelihood opportunities for craftsmen in the Southern Province.
Dynamic relationship
In his address at the event, Minister Douglas Devananda thanked the Government of India for funding the project. He underlined several other projects being executed by his Ministry under Indian grant assistance, including the project to set up the fishnet factory in Jaffna at a cost of Rs. 166 million and the project to revive the Industrial Estate at Atchchuvely in Jaffna, at a cost of Rs. 220 million, which are expected to improve livelihood and employment opportunities for the youth of the northern region.
The High Commissioner, in his remarks, emphasised that India and Sri Lanka share a dynamic and multi-faceted relationship, which is rooted in history, language, culture, religion and trade and that the relations between the two countries have matured and diversified with the passage of time, encompassing all areas of contemporary relevance.
Promoting livelihood opportunities
The revival of employment opportunities and restoring livelihoods of the people has been a priority in India’s development assistance projects in Sri Lanka. The Handicrafts village in Hambantota is one of the many initiatives undertaken by the Government of India to promote livelihood opportunities in the conflict-affected areas as well as in other parts of Sri Lanka.
The Government of India has been implementing a variety of multi-sectoral projects in Sri Lanka based on the needs and priorities identified by both countries. India’s portfolio of development projects now encompasses virtually all major sectors of the economy, including housing, infrastructure, education, health, agriculture, fisheries, industry, handicrafts and culture.
The scope and scale of these projects has increased exponentially since the end of the armed conflict in 2009.
