'No delay in shipment of wildlife-related handicraft items'

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SME Times News Bureau | 16 Nov, 2017
The officials from Archaeological survey of India (ASI), Wild Life Department (Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change) and Customs have assured that the shipment of wildlife-related handicraft items (like made of horn, bone, mother of pearl, leather handicrafts and traditional artware) to be cleared without delay, informed Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) in New Delhi.

EPCH in its endeavor to facilitate exports of handicrafts from the country have been regularly representing issues with the Customs, Wildlife, Archaeological survey of India and various other departments.

One such issue which required intervention of the highest authorities in the Government of India was clearance of items made of horn, bone, mother of pearl, leather handicrafts and traditional artware at various ports across the country.

Rakesh Kumar, ED – EPCH, informed that in order to address the concerns raised by EPCH, Commissioner, Single Window Project, CBEC convened and chaired a meeting on 14th November, 2017 at New Delhi wherein Officials from Archaeological survey of India (ASI), Wild Life Department (Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change) and Customs were present.

Kumar further informed that Commissioner Single Window Project, CBEC acknowledged the fact that handicraft sector is an employment generating sector engaging small artisans, it is important that shipments pertaining to items made of horn, bone, mother of pearl, leather and traditional artware needs to be cleared without delay.

He further said that specific cases wherein the export consignments have been held up (in particularly at Jodhpur, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai) should be immediately brought to their notice so that facilitation at the ports can be arranged.

It was decided that awareness programme will also be organized at Delhi and other craft clusters so as to educate the exporters on issues pertaining to shipment of items made of horn, bone, mother of pearl, leather and traditional artware.

The Handicrafts exports during the year 2016-17 was Rs.24,392.39 crores with overall 13.15 percent increase in comparison to last year. However, the exports of handicrafts during seven months of the current financial year 2017-18 is Rs. 13909.21 crores.