PANAJI
In a bid to give a major push to Goa’s handicraft sector and create a dedicated ecosystem for artisans and small-scale producers, the State government has proposed setting up a handicraft cluster at the Verna industrial estate.
The Goa Industrial Development Corporation (Goa-IDC) has offered 18 plots at Verna on a leasehold basis for establishing the cluster, with plot sizes ranging from around 638 sq m to 1,462 sq m. The plots have been offered at a rate of Rs 2,810 per sq m.
The initiative is aimed at bringing a wide range of handicraft-related activities under one industrial cluster, providing artisans and enterprises with dedicated space for production, processing, packaging, storage, design and marketing.
According to the list of permissible activities approved by the Goa Handicrafts, Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (GHRSSIDC), the cluster will accommodate traditional sectors such as handloom and textile weaving, carpets, rugs, ropes, handicraft textiles, garments, leather goods, footwear, wooden products, bamboo and cane articles, paper products, pottery, terracotta, ceramics, glassware, metal handicrafts and jewellery.
Furniture-making, decorative lighting, printing, packaging, product and industrial design, graphic design, photography, warehousing and logistics services have also been included. Skill-development and artisan training institutes will be permitted, along with activities supporting the broader handicraft ecosystem.
The Goa-IDC has stipulated that only activities specified in the approved list will be permitted within the cluster. The use of the plots will remain restricted to these activities throughout the lease period, including in the event of transfer, sub-lease or extension.
Applications will be scrutinised initially by the GHRSSIDC, following which its recommendations will be placed before the Goa-IDC Screening Committee for consideration and allotment.
The move is expected to provide artisans and handicraft entrepreneurs with organised industrial infrastructure while encouraging value addition, product development, skill training and commercialisation of traditional crafts.
