Leh, Sept 6: In a major boost to traditional crafts and youth empowerment, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh V.K. Saxena has announced a 275 per cent increase in the daily stipend for trainees at Handloom and Handicrafts Training Centres across the Union Territory, raising it from Rs 40 to Rs 150 per day.
Announcing the decision, the Lieutenant Governor said the enhanced stipend would provide greater financial support to trainee artisans, encourage more youth to take up traditional crafts and strengthen the handloom and handicrafts sector as a sustainable livelihood avenue.
The LG said the issue of the low stipend came to his notice during his visit to a training centre at Hanley on June 1. Subsequently, during a review meeting on June 15, he directed the Industries Department to examine the feasibility of increasing the stipend to Rs 150 per day.
The revised stipend will directly benefit nearly 1,000 trainees across Leh and Kargil undergoing training in traditional crafts such as carpet making, Pabu shoemaking, wood carving, weaving, knitting and tailoring.
V.K. Saxena said the initiative is inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of empowering local artisans, strengthening traditional crafts and building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. He expressed confidence that the enhanced financial assistance would motivate more young people to enrol in skill training programmes while making handloom and handicrafts a more viable and lucrative livelihood option.
Officials said the move is expected to preserve Ladakh’s rich craft heritage, strengthen the local handicrafts sector and create greater livelihood opportunities for aspiring artisans across the Union Territory.
