State providing training to about 70,000 weavers since 2011: Min

Kolkata: The sales in 'Banglar Tanter Haat' fair increased more than twice after it was revamped in 2011 when Mamata Banerjee-led government came to power.

While inaugurating the fair, the Minister of State (MoS) for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and the Chairman of Tantuja, Swapan Debnath, said ever since the Trinamool Congress-led government came to power, the administration had tried its best to improve the infrastructure for the weavers and provided financial support to such artisans. The state government even constructed concrete roads for hassle-free transportation of 'taant' garments to the nearest markets.

In 2011, the earnings of the weavers at the fair was Rs 2.97 crore. It gradually increased to Rs 6.72 crore in 2019. As many as 163 weavers participated in 2011. In 2019, around 300 weavers had participated. This apart, since 2011 the state government has been providing training to 70,000 weavers through 183 cluster schemes related to design for upgrading the quality of the products. Several common facility centres were also set up to help the weavers.