Bhubaneswar, July 30: The Odisha government may now share the success story of private entrepreneurs in making the best of the demand of handloom and handicraft of the state.

The department of textile, handloom and handicraft has been entrusted with the responsibility of promoting the Odishan textiles and crafts through the State Museum of Handicrafts and Handloom that will soon come up in the capital city. A tentative deadline of 2014 has been scheduled for the museum.

Announced today by Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, the one-of-its-kind museum will come up at Gandamunda of the city where the State Institute for Development of Arts and Crafts is situated. A patch of 12.68 acres had been earmarked around the institute for the museum dedicated to handloom and handicrafts, said an official.

“A budget of Rs 12 crore has been allotted for building the museum. It will be situated right next to the institute and a number of special attractions will be constructed in the museum to inform the visitors about the different forms of crafts, looms and fabrics made in Odisha,” said secretary of the department Arati Ahuja.

According to the rough plan, a number of blocks will be built in the museum, each dedicated to a unique theme.

“There will be a handicraft block, a handloom block, a lush bonsai garden, an open-air auditorium and many other attractions,” said N. Palei, director of handicrafts.

A village complex that will depict the rural life of Odisha will also be a part of the museum. Mud houses with wooden doors and windows and kuchha roads would give it a real look, said an official. A workshop block will be built for regular sessions of training and seminar by experts for local artisans and weavers.

“The museum will also be a tourist destination with souvenir shops and cafeteria facilities for visitors. Moreover, the museum will help promote the handloom and handicrafts of the state since it will give a detailed idea to the visitors about what Odisha has to offer in these sectors,” said another official.

Landscape beautification of the museum will be given special attention with a panel of designers for museums already selected by the Odisha government.

Moreover, experts such as Rahul Jain, director of Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai; Shobita Punja, chief executive officer of the National Culture Fund; museology expert K.K. Basa, apart from textile designers such as Rakesh Thakore, Bibhu Mohapatra, Rajesh Pratap Singh and Rita Kapur Chisti would be involved in designing different segments of the museum, said Palei.