Second, selected export promotion councils are working closely with Ministry of Rural Development & Ministry of Urban Development to integrate export promotion schemes with employment generation schemes under the SGSY ( Swarnajayanti Gramin Swarojgar Yojna ) and SGSRY ( Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojna ).
To begin with, leather projects in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and UP, lac projects in Orissa, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh and Handicrafts Projects in Chattisgarh are being taken up for product development, design and marketing with the help of women's self-help groups.
Third, the India Brand Equity Fund (IBEF) has been encouraged to launch an extensive marketing programme for Indian handicrafts covering carpets, embroidery & crochet, tribal arts and art works. This will be launched in October this year.
Fourth, the 23 export promotion councils have been asked to prepare specific projects as part of the recently announced Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) by which 250 of the poor and backward districts in the country will get anywhere between Rs.10-15 crores per year for economic activities.
Shri Ramesh said that the Department of Commerce (DoC) is looking to build partnerships with NGOs and civil society groups in order to integrate issues of employment and gender into the mainstream of trade policy in a sustained fashion.
Participants in the National Consultation included Ms Reema Nanavaty, SEWA; Mr Rashid Kidwai, CEO of Grassroot TradingNetwork and Ms Renuka Vishwanathan, Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Government of India. The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) and was supported by the World Bank.
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