The work and importance of the Indian handicrafts industry is very important in the Indian economy and its contribution is increasing day by day. Today, this industry comes under the unorganized sector of the village economy of India and is even considered the second largest employment generating sector after agriculture where craftsmen work. It is one of the few important industries in India that serves more than 6 million artisans, as well as a large number of women and people from weaker sections of society.

 

Given the present scenario, the present handicrafts tradition of India is an ideal paradigm of integration between traditional design and modern techniques. Also, the rapidly growing demand for Indian handicraft and gift products has helped the sector into a largely organized industry that is booming day by day. Today, Rs 40,000 crore worth of handicraft products are produced in a year and out of this, products worth Rs 18,000 crore are exported to foreign countries like the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

 

The region provides a high proportion of even higher value, and has emerged as one of the major sources of foreign exchange income for India. Also, Indian handicrafts are in great demand worldwide, and constitute an important export item of India. To centralize and organize the region, the Government of India has also introduced the concept of ‘Town of Excellence’ giving recognition to the production areas where handicrafts have traditionally been developed. Currently, there are 35 urban ‘haats’ across the country, allowing the allocation of stalls built to artisans on a small fortnightly rotation basis. Certainly, handicraft and craftsmen have played an important role in modern India – not as part of its cultural and tradition, but as part of its economic future.