‘JK Karigari’ launched to connect J&K’s cultural industry directly with national and global buyers

STC NEWS DESK
NEW DEHLI, AUGUST 13 (STC): In a major step towards connecting the region’s centuries-old handcrafted heritage, known as cultural industry, directly with the national and global buyers, the Jammu and Kashmir government launched “JK Karigari”, the official marketplace for authentic products from Jammu and Kashmir during the Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav which commenced here at Delhi.
JK Karigari has been designed to empower the urban women Self Help Groups, preserve traditional crafts and create sustainable livelihoods across the Union Territory.
The platform will showcase 100 percent authentic Kashmiri handicrafts including Pashmina, Kani and Sozni shawls, papier-mache, walnut wood carving, crewel embroidery, carpets and organic local produce and
Jammu handicrafts including Chabri, Macrame Home & Devotional Decor besides traditional food products and wooden craft, all made by skilled artisans and SHGs. Every product listed on JK Karigari will carry a QR code with artisan details, district and GI tag to ensure secure and transparent shopping, with payments going directly to the artisan groups and no middlemen involved.
This The Commissioner Secretary termed the launch a “game changer for urban women artisans” and said the initiative will provide them a dedicated, government-backed platform to reach customers beyond local markets. She informed that presently the department has 4000 SHGs with about 50,000 women members associated with DAY-NULM across J&K. She said the government is actively exploring ways to encourage more interstate collaborations to further boost the business of SHGs and give their products a wider national footprint.
She described JK Karigari as a revolutionary concept of the government that brings together heritage, technology and inclusive growth. She added that the main motive behind this huge government-backed marketplace is to ensure that artisans get a genuine price for their products while consumers get authentic quality stuff, directly from the makers. By integrating QR-based traceability, pre-approval of SHGs by DAY-NULM City Mission and secure digital transactions, the government is ensuring both authenticity for buyers and sustainable income for artisans.
Notably, the launch also builds on J&K’s growing inter-state collaborations for market access. An agreement signed on 9th November 2024 between the “National Urban Livelihoods Mission, Government of Jammu and Kashmir” and the “Uttar Pradesh Handicrafts Development & Marketing Corporation Limited, Department of MSME and Export Promotion, GoUP” aims to enhance the market linkages and promote SHG products and handicrafts from Jammu and Kashmir in Uttar Pradesh and vice versa. The pact focuses on supporting SHG members and artisans in expanding their market reach, increasing income, improving economic self-sufficiency and encouraging cross-learning and sharing of best practices between SHGs of both regions, with facilitation support from Akanksha Samiti, UP.

(Straight Talk Communications)