North Eastern Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation (NEHHDC) – APSC Assam/NE Economy Notes
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North Eastern Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation (NEHHDC) was incorporated on 31.03.1977 under the Companies Act, 1956, to promote the indigenous crafts of the North-East region by connecting craftsmen to prospective markets and generating economic, cultural and social opportunities for creators while adding cultural value for consumers.
The NEHHDC is a ‘Schedule C’ Central Public Sector Enterprise in Trading and Marketing services sector under administrative control of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER), Government of India.
- Its Registered and Corporate offices are in Shillong, Meghalaya.
- The authorised and paid up capital of the Company was Rs.8.50 crore each as on 31.03.2017.
- The shareholding of the Government of India in the company is 100%.
It offers a range of products from all the eight North Eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
It procures handicrafts and handlooms from artisans and weavers across the region and sale them through its chain of “Purbashree” Emporia located at various locations of Shillong, Guwahati, Kolkata, New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.
Additionally it also promotes the crafts of the region at various national and international trade fairs and exhibitions. It also conducts training programmes and seminars for skill, craftsmanship and knowledge upgradation of the artisans and weavers.
Main objectives of the NEHHDC
- Providing financial, technical and other assistance to craftsmen, weavers, co-operatives and other establishments
- Establish, operate and promote Sales Centres, like emporia, show-rooms, publicity offices and exhibition cells for improving accessibility of the goods.
- Organise production through co-operatives, artisans or its own production centres
- Promote and operate schemes for development of handicrafts, handlooms and allied products
- Training and skill upgradation
Why NEHHDC important
Considering the richness of forest produce and the diversity of tribes in the area, the North East region boasts of a wide range of handicrafts. The region also have thick forest and small scale production of indigenous crafts from these forest resources is an important component of their economy. The population consists of a significant percentage of tribal people who possess immense traditional knowledge and craftsmanship in handicrafts and handlooms. The North Eastern Handicrafts & Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC) aims to preserve this rich heritage and making it productive for the economy.
The North East Handicrafts & Handlooms Development Corporation undertakes activities such as
- Monetary support to help meet the cost of production
- Technical training workshops to improve/modernise the production process
- Capacity building and skill upgradation programmes to boost production
- Create and operate sales promotion centres and showrooms to showcase the products
- Encourage artisans to engage with cooperatives or the corporation’s own production centres
- Launch and implement schemes based on the needs of the handicrafts and allied products sector
‘Purbashree’ Emporia
‘Purbashree’ Emporia has been established as sales centres to encourage purchase among consumers. They source products from craftsmen and stock them for sales. These emporia are located in Guwahati, Shillong, New Delhi and Kolkata. There are two sales promotion offices located at Chennai and Bangalore, to promote northeastern handicrafts in the southern states and at urban centres.
Design Bank
The North Eastern Handicrafts & Handlooms Development Corporation operates a design bank to promote innovation and facilitate customisation of products. It displays an array of designs for the clients to choose from and Artisan groups and entrepreneurs have the option of buying designs for making their handicrafts and handloom products. It offers a platform for the designers to showcase and update their skills.
Samanvay Portal
NEHHDC is a part of Samanvay, a knowledge management portal for CPSEs across India that also works as a search engine. To gather information and share ideas regarding employee experiences, documents, standard operating procedures, and other processes.
The NEHHDC offers a range of services for the benefit of the craftspeople, like Exhibitions, Craft bazaars and Special trade expos, to showcase the beauty and utility of northeastern handicrafts.
Northeastern crafts museum
This museum exhibits artefacts and traditional crafts from across the north-east region.