Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today held a high-level meeting with Smt. Neelam Shami Rao, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, to map out a strategic roadmap for the development of Jammu and Kashmir’s handicrafts, handloom, and sericulture sectors.

During the meeting, the Chief Secretary sought the Ministry’s support to introduce advanced certificate courses in NIFT Srinagar’s craft sector, aiming to eventually upgrade these into full-fledged degree programs. He also emphasized establishing an incubation centre at NIFT aligned with the UT’s flagship Mission YUVA scheme to skill and empower local youth.
Highlighting the importance of QR coding for authentic handmade products, Dulloo stressed its potential to enhance product traceability, assure authenticity, expand market access, strengthen brand value, and build consumer trust. He called for the wider adoption of QR codes across craft and handloom sectors.
The Chief Secretary assured the Union Secretary that the J&K government would soon resolve the pending land transfer issue for the establishment of a Weaver Service Centre at Bemina, a critical step toward strengthening artisan-centric initiatives in the handloom sector.
Secretary Neelam Shami Rao sought the Chief Secretary’s intervention regarding challenges faced by NIFT Srinagar at its Ompora campus, emphasizing the need for increased funding and additional land allocation to develop the institute into a premier fashion technology centre of excellence.
Rao’s two-day visit to Srinagar (September 9-10) includes interactions with textile industry representatives, meetings with senior officials from the Industries & Commerce Department, virtual inauguration of the Kanihama Craft Handloom Village, inauguration of the CSB Seri-Tourism Project at Manasbal, distribution of Modified Modern Steel Carpet Looms to 100 beneficiaries at IICT Srinagar, and the launch of the Animal Fibre Quality Assurance Laboratory at SKUAST Kashmir.
The visit aims to drive policy support, technical guidance, and resource allocation to accelerate growth in J&K’s traditional sectors. It is expected to boost skill development and employment, strengthen handicraft and handloom value chains through QR coding and market linkages, enhance infrastructure with the Weaver Service Centre and quality assurance facilities, promote sericulture-based tourism, and attract greater national investment to the region’s rich craft and textile ecosystem.
Also present at the meeting were Padmini Singla, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles; Vikramjit Singh, Commissioner Secretary, Industries & Commerce; Mussrat Islam, Director Handicrafts & Handloom Kashmir; Tannu Kashyap, Director General, NIFT, and other senior J&K officials.
The meeting highlights the Government of India’s commitment to revitalizing traditional crafts in Jammu & Kashmir, empowering artisans, strengthening rural economies, and promoting the region’s cultural identity on a global stage.