Hyderabad, Feb 27 (FN Representative) Union Minister for Minority Affairs Muktar Abbas Naqvi said on Sunday that the Hunar Haat has provided employment opportunities for eight lakh artisans and craftsmen during the last seven years. Speaking after the formal inauguration of 37th Hunar Haat being held at NTR Stadium, Indira Park here from February 25 to March 6, Mr Naqvi said that for the first time since the Independence, the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started working on a “Mission Mode” to promote indigenous legacy of artisans and craftsmen. Hunar Haat has given new energy and enthusiasm to lakhs of families, from far-flung areas of the country, engaged in traditional art and craftsmanship and markets to their ancestral legacy, he said. The Union Minister said that the Hunar Haat, which is an “efficient effort to empower” artisans and craftsmen, has provided employment and employment opportunities to about 8 lakh artisans and craftsmen during the last 7 years. The Hunar Haat has become a “credible brand” of the Prime Minister’s campaign of “Self-reliant India” and “Vocal for Local”. Naqvi said that more than 700 artisans and craftsmen across the country were participating in the “Hunar Haat” in Hyderabad. Stating artisans and craftsmen have brought with them rare handmade indigenous products made of clay, wood, iron, brass, marble, glass and among others, Mr Naqvi said traditional dishes from different regions of the country, Circus and cultural- musical programmes of renowned artists of the country are major attractions of the Hunar Haat in Hyderabad. Besides, as a part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the Hunar Haat is also depicting beautifully, the history and role played by great freedom fighters of the country.
Renowned artists of the country such as Pankaj Udhas, Altaf Raja, Sudesh Bhosle, Suresh Wadekar, Mahalakshmi lyer, Jr Mahmood, Mohit Khanna, Bhupinder Singh Bhuppi, Rekha Raj, Upasana Singh, Nooran Sisters, Priya Mallick, Gunjan Saxena, Rani lndrani, Ankita Pathak, Ritesh Mishra will perform at the Hunar Haat in Hyderabad. Hunar Haats will also be organised in Guwahati, New Delhi, Mysuru, Pune, khmedabad, Bhopal, Patna, Mumbai, Jammu, Chennai, Chandigarh, Agra, Prayagraj, Goa, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Kota, Sikkim, Srinagar, Leh, Shillong, Ranchi, Agartala and other places in the coming days, he added. Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy thanked Mr Naqvi for holding Hunar Haat in Hyderabad for the second time. He appealed to the people of Telangana to utilize the rare opportunity.