Dr. Virendra Kumar Inaugurates 5th North-East India Traditional Fashion Week (NEIFW) 2021

Dr. Virendra Kumar, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, virtually inaugurated the “5^th North-East India Traditional Fashion Week (NEIFW) 2021” in the presence of Ministers of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Km. Pratima Bhoumik and A. Narayanaswamy. Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) Anjali Bhawra was also present in the inaugural ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar welcomed all and congratulated the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) and its National Institute, NIEPVD, for this innovative programme for divyangjan of North-East. He assured to make it an annual event to promote indigenous and traditional skills across India including North-East and preserve the heritage of each community of North-East through this divyangjan movement. He opined that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several national mission programs are being implemented and successfully operated and the citizens of the country are getting benefited from it. Thus, it’s necessary that all the National Institutions of DEPwD must act as a strong link and expand their services so that the divyangjan get full benefit of all these national mission programs like Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, National Bamboo Mission, Skill Development etc.

The Union Minister also added that such events are certainly going to encourage entrepreneurial avenues and generate employment opportunities for divyangjan. All the Institutions of the Department including 08 National Institutes, Rehabilitation Council of India, National Trust, National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation and Artificial Limb Manufacturing Corporation of India are also conducting various awareness programmes during this event. With an inclusionary approach towards divyangjan, this event targets to enrich the ‘Make In India’ Movement by mainstreaming divyangjan along with promoting the indigenous culture and art-forms of North-East India.

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India, A. Narayanaswamy added that the North-East Region of India is historically known for its finest artisans and has a very advanced and large-scale informal artisan entrepreneurship for their textile, handloom and craft industry.

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India, Km. Pratima Bhoumik said that women from the North-East are known for their skill in the weaving, textile and craft industry. She also emphasized that the indigenous and traditional skills of the North-East in the areas of silk-rearing, silk-extraction, weaving, wood-craft, bamboo craft, organic cultivation, orchids etc are few of the avenues that can be explored for encouraging the skill-training and mainstreaming of divyangjan.

Secretary DEPwD mentioned that as a part of ‘India@75 National Celebration’ and flagship programme for North-East India this Divyangjan Movement will gain momentum gradually. It will be a milestone for empowering the Specially-Abled towards an Inclusive India, she added.

NIEPVD, Dehradun is organizing the NEIFW 2021 with the objective to cater to the divyang populace and stakeholders from the NorthEast to promote the arts and artisans of North-East India. It aims to empower and uplift the Divyangjan from the various tribes and ethnic groups of North-East and to encourage the textile and craft industry to take an inclusionary approach. The NEIFW has focused on- Skilling and Entrepreneurship Building; Artisan Training Workshop; Exhibition of Divyang Artisans; Traditional Dress Show and Traditional Cultural Festival; that will not just create awareness about the skills and abilities of divyangjan but also help promote their employment avenues. Divyangjans, families of Divyangjan, NGOs, DPOs, Parent Organizations, Special Schools, Special Vocational Centers and Cooperatives etc. from all the 08 North-Eastern States are participating in this historic event that will pave the way forward for re-engineering the concept of skilling, employment and entrepreneurship of divyangjan across the country.