KVIC's initiative to promote pottery industry
For the villagers of many sleepy hamlets of Uttar Pradesh, it was a festival on Wednesday at this tinsel village of Shamli district.Under its ambitious 'Kumhaar Sashaktikaran Yojana' and 'Honey Mission' projects, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) distributed 60 electric potter wheels and 1,000 bee-boxes among the villagers of Hathras, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Meerut, Bagpat, Amroha, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur and Shamli districts at Choudhary Charan Singh Multi-disciplinary Training Centre (MTDC) here.
KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena, who was the chief guest of this function, said that these electric potter wheels are the booster of strength to the potters. "It will not only reduce their labour but with these electric potter wheels – they will make the best quality of utensils and terracotta in minimum time," he said, adding, "In consonance with the changed demand from the perspective customers with support of technological back up by providing the modernised machines / tools and equipments to the existing potters, we have taken initiatives to promote the pottery industry. After proper training under skill upgradation programme by the KVIC, these new design intervention and supply of modernised machines, tools and equipment in pottery making will enable to bring out the new terra-cotta products in the market by the potters, who are so far making pottery through hand driven traditional methods – incidentally high-labour intensive and less cost-effective."
Saxena further said that it would not only give direct employment to 90 people and indirect employment to 15 people but also enhance per day income of a potter from Rs 100 to at least Rs 400.
In the programme, the KVIC Chairman gave one electric potter wheels, one set of a pug mill, one set of blunger and one set of gas fired kiln to each group of 10 potters in altogether 60 beneficiaries.
While the electric potter wheel on which the potter can work 12 to 16 hours a day – is useful for bringing the new designs and reducing the drudgery having variable RPM of 0 to 180, the blunger can process 400 to 500 kilograms of raw clay in mere 8 hours. Similarly, while the pugmill is used for pugging and homogenous clay mixing and would process 500-800 kilograms clay per hour, the all-weather and less pollutant gas kiln is useful for baking the green articles of 50 to 60 kilograms per day with temperature up to 1100 degree centigrade.
Following the clarion call given by the Prime Minister, who has always laid stress on the need of 'Sweet Kranti' on the lines of
'Shwet Kranti', KVIC Chairman also distributed 1,000 bee-boxes among 100 scheduled caste farmers of Shamli and neighbouring districts, identified by the KVIC.
"It will not only ensure an additional annual income of to the farmers' families but would also increase the yield of their crops due to the cross-pollination," he said, adding, "KVIC has planned to adopt two-three villages in each district of India as 'Honey Villages'."
Later, the KVIC Chairman also planted more than 500 saplings of medicinal plants of Moringa and Tulsi. Among others, who attended this function were Satya Narayana, Deputy CEO (North Zone) and Madhusudan Chouhan, Principal MTDC.
