BHOPAL: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that ‘Hunar Haat’ is a platform for making artisans self-reliant and the state government wants the Haats to be held in different cities of the state each year.
The chief minister was speaking after inaugurating the 10-day exhibition-cum-sale, ‘Hunar Haat’ at the Lal Parade Ground in the city on Saturday. The event has been organised by the Union ministry of minority affairs to promote artisans of the minority communities. He added that Bhopalites respected and appreciated ‘hunar’ (skill) and the artisans and craftsmen who had brought their products would not have to return with their wares. Their entire stocks would be sold out, he said.
Minister for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that artisans from all parts of the country would be displaying their products at the Haat. The minister said that traditional food items from different parts of the country would also be available at the Haat. He added that the first Hunar Haat was held in Delhi and had evoked an overwhelming response. Naqvi said that, when the corona pandemic was at its height, “we’d advised the artisans to continue their work and assured them that we’d provide them a platform for selling their products.”
Naqvi said that ‘Hunar Haat’ was available on virtual and online platform http://hunarhaat.org and on GeM Portal, too, where the people of the country and abroad could buy products of indigenous artisans and craftsmen digitally online. Chouhan and Naqvi visited some of the stalls and interacted with the artisans. They also had ‘tandoori tea’ at one of the stalls.
Night curfew likely
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that Covid-19 cases were on the rise in 10 districts of the state, including Bhopal, Indore and those bordering Maharashtra, such as Chinndwara, Betul and Burhanpur. ‘These districts are recording more than 10 new cases per day,’ he said. The government had decided to restrict the number of participants in programmes held in halls to half of the capacity, he added, and permission for holding programmes in the open would be given on a selective basis after due consideration of all factors. The government might impose night curfew in Indore and Bhopal. A final decision would be taken on Monday.
