Government website to display artisans’ skills

The website, an endeavour of the government’s ‘Tamil Nadu Innovation Initiatives,’ aims at hosting a separate web page for individual artisans to demonstrate their skills and products, an official release said.  The initiative was started with an allocation of Rs 1 crore. 

The state government plans to enrol nearly 2 lakh artisans on the website. As on date, information about 10,000 artisans has been collected, of whom 500 artisans have been registered on the website, the release added. 

After dedicating the exclusive website for artisans, the Chief Minister honoured nine senior artisans (all above 65 years). All of them were presented with an 8-gram gold medal, a cheque for Rs 1 lakh, a plaque and a certificate. 

Similarly, 12 artisans were chosen for the Poompuhar State award 2016-17. They were presented with a cheque for Rs 50,000, a 4-gram gold medal, a plaque and a certificate each by the Chief Minister, the release said. Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan and Handlooms Department Secretary Phanindra Reddy were present at the function.

During the day, the Chief Minister also inaugurated the new building of Alandur taluk office in Chennai. The new facility was built at a cost of Rs 2.02 crore. The building has a meeting hall, computer room, record room and tahsildar’s office. Revenue Minister RB Udayakumar was present at the inauguration.

On the day when the Chief Minister honoured the artisans in the state, the Tamil Nadu Pottery Workers (Kulala) Association members on Friday petitioned the Edappadi Palanisamy government to fulfil the four-point charter of poll promise made by the ruling party. The promises include enhancement of monsoon relief assistance to Rs 5,000 to the pottery workers, free provision of electric potter wheels, subsidy to establish industrial centres, and allowing potters to draw clay from government land. “As many as 40 lakh potters in the state will benefit if the government sanctions this four-point charter,” they stated in the petition.