Oil PSUs led by ONGC will take up 75 projects to support various art and crafts in the country in an attempt to encourage local artisans.

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In line with the government's commemoration of 75 years of Indian Independence Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav, petroleum secretary Tarun Kapoor inaugurated an initiative by oil PSUs to support various art and crafts in the country and launched the Bamboo Craft project of Madhya Pradesh supported by ONGC, the company said in a statement.

"As part of a larger initiative, central public enterprises under the ministry of petroleum and natural gas will take up 75 projects in different districts across the country. ONGC has launched the initiative to revive the struggling handicraft projects and empower the local artisans. ONGC will take up 15 of the 75 projects. The bamboo handicraft of Madhya Pradesh has been launched on June 11, 2021," it said.

ONGC, in association with local NGOs and forums, will initially undertake five projects across the country to support the handicraft sector, with an outlay of around Rs 1.3 crore.

The five projects supported by ONGC include supporting the bamboo craft of artisans of Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh, helping artisans of ancient metal casting craft Dhokra in Odisha's Dhenkanal, reviving Lac culture in Khunthi and Ghumla districts of Jharkhand, promote traditional craft of wool dyeing in Uttarakhand, and facilitating handloom weavers of Sivasagar district in Upper Assam.

Company chairman Subhash Kumar said oil PSUs have always stood with the community wherever they have an operational presence.

ONGC Director (HR) Alka Mittal said that the handicrafts industry of India generates over Rs 13,000 crore in export earnings and is a source of livelihood for over 6 million craftsmen. "ONGC will remain actively involved in such initiatives touching lives of people".

(Edited by : Jomy Jos Pullokaran)