Arjun Singh to inaugurate KRITI 2008 today

New Delhi, Mar 14 : Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh will today inaugurate KRITI 2008, a mega exhibition of crafts by Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSSs).

The National Literacy Mission of the Ministry of Human Resource Development in collaboration with the National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum, Ministry of Textiles have put up this mega exhibition of crafts.

The products will be exhibited in 50 stalls at the National Handicrafts and Handloom Museum in Pragati Maidan, which are being manned by the beneficiaries themselves.

About 100 Jan Shikshan Sansthans are expected to participate in the exhibition.

On this occasion, cultural programmes will also be arranged on daily basis. The exhibition will open from 10.30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. till March 18.

Other dignitaries who will visit the exhibition include Ministers of State for Human Resource Development, Md. A.A.Fatmi and Smt. D.Purandeswari, Arun Kumar Rath, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, R.P.Agrawal, Secretary, Department of Higher Education and other senior officials of the Ministry and other Government Departments.

An attempt was made for the first time in November 2006 at the national level to exhibit the artifacts and other products made by the beneficiaries of the JSSs.

JSSs are institutions supported by the National Literacy Mission to impart vocation linked literacy programmes. They organize a variety of vocational courses of different duration with Life Enrichment Education (LEE) as an integral component.

In addition to vocational courses, the JSSs also organize activities for creating general awareness. By linking literacy with vocational training, the JSSs seek to improve the quality of life of the beneficiaries most of whom belong to the poor and the marginalized sections of the society.

The JSSs organize vocational training in different trades and skill upgradation in traditional and modern crafts mostly for the neo-literates and weaker sections of the society.

In addition, training is also provided in various service-oriented trades. In all, training is provided in 370 different types of trades.

The objective is to ensure that the beneficiaries are able to set up their own production units in their respective trades or obtain wage employment as skilled workers.

ANI