Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Handicrafts Draft Policy-2026 has been developed with a significant emphasis on the protection, preservation, and promotion of handicrafts, while also ensuring the welfare and empowerment of artisans, stated Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta on Thursday. He made these remarks as the chief guest at the opening of a consultative workshop held at a city hotel. The minister noted that handicrafts embody the spirit and identity of Odisha’s culture, with artisans serving as the true guardians of the state’s rich heritage.

Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar delivered the keynote address, providing a comprehensive overview of the draft policy. She mentioned that the policy has been designed in alignment with the objectives of Developed Odisha @ 2036 and the Odisha Vision Document. She added that the policy will be finalized after integrating constructive feedback from intellectuals, experts, designers, academicians, exporters, and artisans.

Several critical topics were addressed during the workshop, including enhancing market access for artisans, addressing competition from machine-made goods, ensuring a sufficient supply of raw materials, and engaging younger generations through innovative designs.

The discussions also highlighted digital marketing, connecting artisans to global markets, strengthening cooperative societies, fostering handicraft entrepreneurship, promoting GI-tagged products, and supporting startup incubation within the handicrafts sector. The workshop saw participation from Director of Handicrafts Nivedita Prusty, Managing Director of Utkalika Pratap Chandra Hota, along with Padma Shri awardees Binod Maharana and Prabhakar Maharana, as well as distinguished academicians, designers, exporters, cooperative experts, and handicraft officials from across Odisha. National and state award-winning artisans also contributed valuable insights to enhance the state’s handicrafts ecosystem.