CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR UPSC IAS

The World Crafts Council International (WCCI) has turned its focus towards Srinagar as a potential candidate for the esteemed title of World Craft City (WCC).

About Srinagar’s traditional craft

• Srinagar, spread over 416 square kilometres, has a registered artisan base of 20,822 craftsmen, who are involved in multiple disciples of papier mâché, walnut wood carving, hand-knotted carpet, Kani shawl, Khatamband, pashmina, Sozni craft etc.
• The total craft related workforce in Srinagar stands at 1.76% approximately.
• The contribution of the handicraft to the overall economy of J&K stood at 2.64% by 2016-17.
• In 2021, Srinagar was designated as part of UNESCO Creative Cities Net Work (UCCN), and with this it has entered the club of 295 Creative Cities Net Work across the world.
  • After Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Varanasi and Jaipur, Srinagar is the sixth Indian city to achieve this distinction for different categories.
• Srinagar became the second Indian city after Jaipur which was selected under the UCCN ‘Crafts and Folk Art category’.
• The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage-Kashmir (INTACH-K) is collaborating with the J&K Handicrafts department to map the craft sector ahead of the final nomination.