Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Varanasi’s iconic Banarasi saree is finding a bigger market beyond India, with exports increasing fivefold since the Uttar Pradesh government’s One District, One Product (ODOP) scheme was launched in 2018.
The growth has come alongside a broader push to strengthen the traditional weaving ecosystem in Varanasi, with artisans receiving subsidised loans, training, machinery support and access to common processing facilities under the scheme.
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Launched on January 24, 2018, ODOP was designed to promote products associated with individual districts and provide traditional artisans and small entrepreneurs with financial and institutional support. Varanasi’s key products under the scheme include Banarasi sarees, pink meenakari and wooden toys.
According to Abhishek Priyadarshi, Deputy Commissioner of Industries at the District Industries Promotion and Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Varanasi, the city’s Banarasi saree industry has recorded a steady rise in exports since the scheme was introduced.
“The Gulf War certainly caused some difficulties. However, since the scheme’s launch, exports have increased fivefold,” he said, adding that the growth also includes interstate trade.
The government says the broader objective is to help traditional artisans move up the economic ladder – from artisans to entrepreneurs, and from small and micro enterprises to larger businesses – while expanding their access to domestic and international markets.
SUBSIDISED LOANS, TRAINING HELP WEAVERS EXPAND
Under the ODOP margin money scheme, 820 saree traders in Varanasi have so far received loans. The government has provided subsidies worth around Rs 31 crore against loans amounting to Rs 126 crore, according to Priyadarshi.
The scheme also provides training and tool kits to existing artisans. Around 2,500 people have been trained and provided support, while further expansion is being facilitated through loans under the Chief Minister’s scheme.
For weavers such as Shailesh Singh, who operates a machine under the ODOP initiative in Bhatti village in Lohta, the financial support has translated into higher production.
Singh said entrepreneurs received support from banks under the scheme, allowing him to purchase machinery and increase production. The benefits, he said, have extended beyond him to workers associated with his unit.
He also received a 25 per cent subsidy, capped at Rs 10 lakh, under the scheme.
Singh said the increase in production and marketing of Banarasi sarees and dress materials has improved his financial position as well as his relationship with banks.
“ODOP has also benefited the entire society,” he said.
ONE ROOF FOR PRINTING, DYEING AND FINISHING
Another major intervention has been the ODOP Common Facility Centre (CFC) in Jagatpur, where weavers from Varanasi and surrounding areas can access multiple processing facilities under one roof.
The centre provides digital printing, screen printing, block printing, dyeing and finishing services at subsidised rates.
Namita Bharadia, director of the ODOP-CFC, said the centre uses machines to make these processes faster and easier for weavers. She said the facility, which started with just four employees around two years ago, now has more than 70 employees.
For weavers like Ritesh Pal, the centre has reduced the need to move between different facilities for different stages of production. Pal said he could get his silk material processed in one place, allowing him to save both time and effort.
The government provides a 90 per cent subsidy for services offered through the ODOP-CFC, making the facilities more affordable for artisans.
FROM PANIPAT TO VARANASI
The impact of the ODOP scheme is also visible in the movement of workers back to Varanasi.
Dhananjay Singh, who works at the same factory as weaver Shailesh Singh, earlier worked in Haryana’s Panipat. Originally from Fatehpur, he eventually moved to Varanasi to operate machines closer to home.
He said the move has helped him save on expenses while improving his financial position. The money saved is now being used for household needs.
Other workers and designers associated with the CFC also said the facility has helped improve their financial stability while providing opportunities to learn new skills.
Designer Pankaj Singh Patel said getting a job after completing his studies has made him financially stronger, while designer Prince Gupta said working under one roof has provided opportunities to learn different aspects of the trade.
MARKETING SUPPORT TO TAKE BANARASI PRODUCTS GLOBAL
The ODOP scheme’s support does not end with production.
Under the ODOP Marketing Development Assistance (MDA) component, the government provides marketing assistance, including support of up to 75 per cent of stall rent at exhibitions. It also covers travel and freight expenses for eligible participants.
According to Priyadarshi, around 3,000 to 4,000 people have so far received such assistance for exhibitions and marketing activities within Uttar Pradesh, elsewhere in India and abroad.
The push is aimed at ensuring that increased production translates into wider markets and better earnings for artisans.
For Varanasi’s weavers, the export growth offers a significant opportunity to take a centuries-old craft to newer global markets.
The government’s larger aim, Priyadarshi said, is to strengthen the financial base of artisans by connecting them with exports and helping them grow from individual craftsmen into sustainable businesses.
The fivefold rise in Banarasi saree exports since the launch of ODOP suggests that the traditional craft is increasingly finding space in that larger market.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
