Cabinet approves draft policy for handicraft

The Cabinet has given the go-ahead to a draft policy to extend financial and marketing support to handicraft manufacturers and artisans.

Monday’s meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair approved the ‘Handicraft Industry Policy, 2015’.

After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said the draft policy was consistent with the National Industrial Policy.

“One of the goals of the policy is to alleviate poverty by generating employment. The handicraft sector can play an important role in this regard, as it is a labour-intensive but not capital-intensive industry," he said.

Under the policy, Bhuiyan said, a council would be constituted under the industries minister to coordinate its implementation.

He said a list of 19 categories of handicrafts had been included in the policy.

The government would promote and extend support to the entrepreneurs and artisans involved in the industry under the policy, he added.