Jyotiraditya Scindia, minister of state for commerce and industry and member of Parliament from Guna in Madhya Pradesh, says handlooms is an important impetus area for government, not least because it is a segment in which India has a ?great amount of IP?. He talks to Chanpreet Khurana about the developments in Chanderi and the potential for handloom tourism here. Excerpts:

The handlooms sector is far from meeting the 11th Five-Year Plan target of Rs10,000 crore in exports. Your views?

Last year’s figures for nine months ending January 2010 are close to Rs 980 crore exports in the handlooms area.

There are three or four major steps that we have taken since UPA-II came into office. First, under the VKYUG scheme (Vishesh Krishi Gram Udyog Yojana), we have given the handloom sector 5% duty scrips on exports on freight-on-board value. We have also increased the incentivisation to about 2% under our focused market scheme and focused products scheme. For handlooms export houses looking at star trading house status, every rupee worth of handloom counts for Rs 2 in terms of gaining that status.

Could you talk in more detail about the initiatives taken specifically in Chanderi?

First, we had an intervention by World Bank and Unido (the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation) to look at technology upgrade and skill development at the grassroots?setting up dyeing houses, for example.

In the second stage, we started taking the market to the weavers. So in addition to taking people to fairs, I actually started taking companies into Chanderi, introducing them to the weavers, getting them intrinsically and very steadfastly involved in the development of the weavers, their art and their skillsmanship, and, therefore, improving the product. Today, after five or six years, we have six to seven companies that are drawing from Chanderi, of which one or two have based their offices in Chanderi.

We have formed SHGs (self-help groups) of weavers, primarily championed by women. Also, in one or two instances, companies have been formed where weavers have got the majority of shareholding. To me it is a great deal of satisfaction that the weaving community in areas such as Chanderi are not only understanding the concept of a market-driven approach but are also understanding the concept of equity. It is important to twin this, wherever you can, with the culture of the place. And over the past eight years, along with the Archaeological Survey of India and Intach (the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), I have actually been working on restoration of monuments around Chanderi.

Do you see handloom tourism taking root in Chanderi?

If you went to Chanderi 10 years ago and you go there today, it is a different Chanderi you’ll be seeing. Not in terms of modern industrial buildings that have come up, but the restoration of Chanderi of 1,000 years ago. Our monuments, whether it is Badal Mahal or Kushk Mahal, have been brought back to their old glory. Along with the ministry of culture we have built a brand new museum for Rs 7-8 crore. One of the monuments Intach has restored is called Raja Mahal. This building had obviously had a tremendous history.