Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi here on the conclusion of 20th "Hunar Haat said on Sunday that the 20th "Hunar Haat" proved to be a "Mega Mission" of "Empowerment of Indigenous Legacy" and "Economic Empowerment" of artisans as sale worth crores of rupees of their indigenous products took place.
Organised by Union Minority Affairs Ministry at India Gate Lawns, Rajpath, from 13 to 23 February 2020, more than 250 artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts from across the country participated in the mega mission.
"For the first time, these artisans included more than 50 per cent women artisans. It was historic and successful," the Minister said.
He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla visited "Hunar Haat" and encouraged artisans and craftsmen.
Addressing the media on the occasion, Mr Naqvi said that artisans also got large scale orders for their products from India and abroad.
The Minister said that Minority Affairs Ministry will get these artisans and their products registered on "GeM" (Government e Marketplace). The Ministry is also in discussion with several export promotion councils so that these artisans and craftsmen receive large scale orders from India and international markets regularly.
Mr Naqvi pointed out that during "Mann Ki Baat" today, PM Modi appreciated "Hunar Haat" and artisans, craftsmen and their exquisite indigenous handmade products.
"By mentioning about "Hunar Haat" in "Mann Ki Baat", the Prime Minister has reiterated Government's commitment to promote and encourage the magnificent legacy of our indigenous arts/crafts," Mr Naqvi said.
He said that Prime Minister made a surprise visit to "Hunar Haat" and his visit gave a tremendous boost and world-wide recognition to talent of Indian artisans and craftsmen.
Mr Modi also enjoyed "Kulhad Ki Chai" and Bihar's delicious "Litti-Chokha". During his about one-hour long presence at "Hunar Haat", the Prime Minister visited several stalls and interacted with artisans and also took information about their indigenous products.
The Union Minister said that the visit of the Prime Minister gave a tremendous publicity to "Hunar Haat" as the number of visitors increased day by day after his visit.
More than 15 lakh visitors, both domestic and international, visited "Hunar Haat" at India Gate Lawns, Rajpath, in these last 11 days. The visitors encouraged the artisans, craftsmen and also enjoyed traditional delicacies of various states at "Bawarchikhana" section at "Hunar Haat".
Besides, renowned artists, singers and poets enthralled the audience daily with their performance. These artists included Anu Kapoor, Surendra Sharma, Manzar Bhopali, Praveen Shukla, Nikhat Amrohi, Shambhu Shikhar, Dilbag Singh, Bhupinder Singh "Bhuppi", Simple Sisters, Mukesh Pancholi and others.
The "Hunar Haat" at India Gate Lawns was inaugurated by Union Minister for Railways, Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal; Union Minister for Urban Development (Independent Charge) Hardeep Singh Puri and President ICCR Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe on February 13.Mr Naqvi said that this "Hunar Haat", organised on the theme of "Kaushal Ko Kaam" witnessed gracious presence of Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Smriti Irani, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Dr Jitendra Singh, Parliamentarians, senior officials, senior Diplomats from various countries and other dignitaries from India and abroad. These dignitaries encouraged and lauded artisans and craftsmen and their indigenous handmade products.
Mr Naqvi said that the next "Hunar Haat" will be organized at Ranchi from February 29 to March 8 and in Chandigarh from 13th to 22nd March, 2020.
In the coming days, "Hunar Haat" will be organized in Gurugram, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Dehradun, Patna, Bhopal, Nagpur, Raipur, Puducherry, Amritsar, Jammu, Shimla, Goa, Kochi, Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar, Ajmer and other places.
So far, "Hunar Haat" have been organized at various places in the country such as Delhi, Mumbai, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Puducherry and Indore.