Chief minister Arjun Munda at the National Handloom Expo. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, March 24: The government will constitute the Khadi Gramodyog Board in 15 days to give a fillip to the handloom and textile industries in the state.

Chief minister Arjun Munda said the board would look into the needs of the handloom and textiles industries and provide personalised attention to weavers.

“My government will provide support to the weavers so that they can pursue their creative profession without any financial constraint. India is a vast country with a large number of unemployed people. We should utilise these people for the growth of the nation. Let us pledge to provide work to all these people so that everyone in the country contributes to development,” Munda said while inaugurating the National Handloom Expo at the Jaipal Singh Stadium here today.

This was Munda’s first appearance at a public function after he took charge as chief minister last week. “Jharkhand has tremendous potential in the handloom sector. But we have not been able to fully utilise our resources. All that we need to do is to tap the resources and put them to use. This will not only promote national growth but also provide employment to a large number of people,” he said.

The handloom exhibition, organised by the state directorate of industries in association with the Union ministry of textiles, will continue till April 8.

Besides Jharkhand, 15 states — Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Orissa, Rajasthan, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Haryana — are participating in the event.

Pashupati Nath Singh, former industries minister, said the government should use its surplus funds to generate employment opportunities in the state. He said the government was planning to open warehouses and market complexes in the state so that handloom products could be stored and marketed to the advantage of the craftsmen.

“Unemployment gives rise to socio-economic problems. Extremism being one of them. If we are able to provide employment to each and every person in the state, the problem will automatically be resolved. We aim to address the problem through self-employment programmes,” Singh said.

Industries secretary Vimal Kirti Singh said the government was committed to improve the handloom sector. “We are trying to market the handloom products in a attractive package. We will also request the Centre to grant funds for welfare schemes for craftsmen,” he said.