Secretary Textiles inaugurates 4 B2B trade shows at India Expo Mart, hails them for showcasing India’s rich cultural heritage

Greater Noida, August 26th,2022: Four of India’s largest B2B trade shows were inaugurated on Friday morning at the India Expo Centre & Mart namely- Khilona 2022, India GI Fair 2022, Maa Shishu Expo, and the Stem Confex 2022.

India GI Fair and Khilona Expo 2022 have been organized by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts(EPCH) while the Stem Confex and Maa Shishu Expo have been organized by India Exposition Mart Ltd.

The Chief Guest of the day was UP Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India. Esteemed guests present at the venue included the Chief Advisor of DAC & FW, Govt. of India, Shubhra Agarwal; the President of Toy Association of India, Ajay Aggarwal; the Director General of EPCH, Rakesh Kumar; Padma Shree awardee and GI Expert, Dr. Rajni Kant; Chairman of EPCH, Raj K Malhotra; and the Executive Director of EPCH, R K Verma.

 

The Director General of EPCH, Rakesh Kumar, begins his address by expressing gratitude to the supporters and exhibitors of all four shows.

Talking about the India GI Fair, Kumar said, “The very first event to promote India’s rich culture and heritage through artistic products, the India GI Fair is going to be a historic one”.

 

“Khilona 2022 aims to promote the manufacturing and export of toys that are made in India”, he noted about the India Toys & Games Fair.

“Stem Confex and Maa Shishu Expo have been in the works for the last one year and focuses on the youth and children of the country”, Kumar remarked.

Speaking about Prime Minister’s Modi initiative of ‘Make in India’, Kumar lauds all four shows for their significant efforts to promote products that are made in India and are showcased on a global platform.

 

“India GI Fair promotes GI-tagged products of ‘Incredible India’ while Khilona 2022 aims to manufacture indigenous toys for the children of our country”.

Lastly, he thanked the people and the Government of India who have supported all their endeavors to make India one of the greatest in the world.

The Chairman of EPCH, Raj K Malhotra, welcomes all the dignitaries in attendance.

 

Talking about the India GI Fair, Malhotra remarks that the GI-tagged products are invaluable treasures of the country which promote confidence between buyers and the rural manufacturers.

“I highly appreciate the efforts of PM Modi Ji and the Govt of India to revive the country’s lost spirit, to promote indigenous products, and to showcase the talent of our country at greater levels”, he said.

Dr. Rajni Kant, Padma Shree awardee and the General Secretary of the Human Welfare Association lauds the rich diversity, history, and culture of India that is displayed under one roof at the Expo Mart.
“India is rightly called the ‘Sone ki Chidiya’ and I am fortunate to be a part of this country”, he said.

He further thanks the EPCH, IEML, who organize such events to develop our country and promote our heritage.

Ms. Shubhra Agarwal, Chief Advisor of DAC and FC, highlights the support and participation of the public without whom these events would have been a failure. She also acknowledges the delegates from Arab countries present at the venue.

 

The Chief Guest, UP Singh, Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles, congratulates the organizers for putting up such unique shows.

Speaking about the products at the India GI Fair, Singh notes that more than 390 of these products are handlooms and handicrafts.
“These products should be called a part of our rich cultural heritage displaying Indian talent”.

Singh reminisces the lost spirit of handmade products like Muslin, Kashmiri silk, Kangra paintings, handpicked Darjeeling tea, and many more products.

“People who had to leave their homes during the partition of 1947 say that the only thing we bought with us was our culture and the talent of our hands. Which is why we should never forget the spirit and emotions that handmade valuables possess”, he said.

 

Talking about the Khilona Fair 2022, Singh said “Toys weren’t really a big deal to people and most of it was imported to India from other countries like China but after PM Modi highlighted the values that children learn through toys and the need for them to be manufactured in our homeland, people understood the true meaning of it”.

The Fair Booklets were released by the Chief Guest and other dignitaries and later they were presented with mementos to honor their contributions to the country.

They also explored all the stalls at the event and interacted with the exhibitioners about the details and making of the products.

Rakesh Kumar and UP Singh were also seen interacting keenly with the young students at the Khilona Fair who performed Robotics activities and very confidently explained the mechanism of the robots they created.

Photo Highlights: Inauguration of Khilona, India GI Fair, STEM Confex and Maa Shishu Expo