Oil and Natural Gas Corporation initiative to revive the struggling handicraft projects

In line with the government’s commemoration of 75 years of Indian Independence – Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav, central public enterprises under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas will take up 75 projects in different districts across the country. ONGC has launched the initiative to revive the struggling handicraft projects and empower the local artisans. ONGC will take up 15 of the 75 projects.

ONGC will address the challenges faced by the artisans and the art and handicraft forms, thereby improving the rural livelihoods associated with the handicrafts and handloom sectors. ONGC, in association with local NGOs and forums, is initially undertaking five projects across the country to support the handicraft sector, with an outlay of around 1.3 crore rupees.

The following five (5) projects are being supported by ONGC in the first phase:

1. Bamboo Cottage: ONGC has joined hands with Shivganga, a voluntary non-profit venture of young tribal entrepreneurs, to make the artisans of Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh, who are struggling to keep the age-old art of crafting decorative items with bamboo alive, thus becoming self-dependent.
2. Dhokra: In association with Anwesha Tribal Arts and Crafts in Odisha’s Dhenkanal, this project will create new opportunities for the artisans of ancient metal casting craft Dhokra and lost wax technique Cire Perdue by forming clusters, impart training and create market linkages.
3. Lac: In association with CINI, ONGC aims to make the communities in Khunthi and Ghumla districts of Jharkhand aware of their forest resources and reviving the forgotten Lac culture. The project will train the tribal women and local youth in scientific lac cultivation.  
4. Bhotia: To promote the traditional craft of wool dyeing in Uttarakhand, ONGC with the support of SEWA International, will create platforms and marketing opportunities to showcase talent by combining their style of costume with modern clothing trends and exhibit their craftsmanship to a wider consumer base.  
5. Assam Silk: ONGC, along with the North East Development Forum, will facilitate the sustainable development of handloom weavers located in and outside identified handloom clusters of Sivasagar district (Upper Assam) into a cohesive, self-managing and competitive socio-economic unit.

Other activities taken up n Aspirational districts

ONGC is taking up large scale CSR projects in 20 Aspirational Districtsof the country. At Dahod District in Gujarat, multiple interventions have been undertaken after carrying out a detailed need assessment survey. These interventions spread across seven talukas of Dahod in the field of safe drinking water, irrigation, rural development, construction of IHHL, developing Anganwadis , smart digital classes and many more projects. The details of the projects are:

• Digital education for 532 schools
• Construction of 19 check dams
• Construction of 5 community tube wells
• Construction of 5 community wells
• Integrated Agri diary with farming model projects for marginal farmers in 5 villages
• Construction of toilets in 60 Anganwadis
• Construction of IHHLs in 8 villages in first phase
• Construction of 50 no.s of Anganwadis
• Repair of 7 check dams constructed during 1990s.

The focus in all other aspirational districts, are mainly in the field of education and health care. The projects are undertaken after consultation with the District Administration. At Bokaro, interventions are towards construction of toilets, solar street lights, hand pumps and skill development. At other locations, similar projects have already been taken up and there are plans to take up major projects in the next financial year.

Source : ONGC