Kolkata: The West Bengal Khadi and Village Industries Board (WBKVIB) is coming up with a dedicated hub for production, sale and marketing of a plethora of products made from Khes, Sal Leaves and Muslin at Labpur in Birbhum district.
"Our main thrust is creating a platform for the artisans involved in the manufacture of articles with Khes. There are nearly a dozen villages in Labpur in which over 500 artisans specialise in the manufacture of sarees, bed covers, curtains and similar articles with Khes. We will be providing them training in design and basic infrastructural support so that they can churn out best quality product catering to the current market demand. The hub will also provide a platform for sal leaves and muslin products and will emerge as a complete package for the tourists who love to do shopping while visiting a place," said a senior official of WBKVIB.
Sarees made from Khes priced at around Rs 600-650 have a smart and trendy look while the price of bed covers range between Rs 400 to 450. The starting price is as low as Rs 300.
"The artisans of these villages are often denied the return for their hard work due to middlemen who come in the way of production and marketing. The artisans will produce and market at the same place in the hub and hence the role of middlemen will be completely eliminated," added the official.
Senior official of WBKVIB led by CEO Mrityunjoy Bandyopadhyay recently visited the site to monitor the progress of work. The building for the common centre of Khes artisans have already come up. Instructions have been given regarding the design and décor of the building and other necessary infrastructure. The arrangements of lights and creation of a proper road space connecting the hub was also discussed at length during the visit.
The ultimate aim of WBKVIB is to develop the place as a tourist spot. The state government has already sanctioned more than Rs 3 crore for executing the three projects.
The total area being reasonably large the WBKVIB is planning to offer a platform for artisans across the state to assemble for a Haat on weekends similar to that of Santiniketan to woo tourists from different parts of the state.