Project Reviving Crafts Heritage and Providing Sustainable Livelihood to the Artisans

National Culture Fund, Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and Sewa Federation Sign Memorandum of Agreement for Reviving Crafts Heritage and providing sustainable livelihood to the Artisans

A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) forging partnership between NCF/REC/SEWA Federation was signed here today for the project Reviving Crafts Heritage and Providing Sustainable Livelihood to the Artisans. The MoA was signed in the presence of Smt. Sangita Gairola, Secretary Culture, President of NCF Executive Committee and Shri. Rajeev Sharma, CMD, Rural Electrification Corporation. REC, as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for the FY 2012-13, has desired to support the project "REVIVING CRAFTS HERITAGE AND PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD TO THE ARTISANS" – a proposal submitted by SEWA Federation at an estimated cost of Rs. 1.58 Crore. Through this project, Gujarat State Women’s SEWA Cooperative Federation Limited (GSWSCF), proposes a) To help women artisans of the informal sector achieve economic security through traditional livelihoods; b) To promote greater awareness, acceptance and demand for local arts and crafts; and c) To revive and restore the crafts centre. The Project will be implemented by the SEWA Federation within an estimated time period of thirty six months from the date of signing of the Agreement. REC financed Project will revive the traditional arts and crafts and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to the artisans in the districts of Ahmadabad, Mehsana, Patan, Kutchh and Surat in Gujarat, through the women artisan cooperatives and self-help groups. The National Culture Fund (NCF) was set up by the Govt. of India, Ministry of Culture, as a Trust under the Charitable Endowment Act, 1890 through a Gazette Notification published in the Gazette of India in November 1996. It constitutes the most important innovation on the Indian culture scene. It is a mechanism to elicit people’s support both intellectual and financial and to forge public private partnerships for culture- related endeavours. Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) is a listed NAVRATNA Central Public Sector Enterprise under Ministry of Power. REC is engaged in providing financial assistance to Central/State Power Utilities for Generation, Transmission & Distribution Projects and nodal agency for implementation of Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) Schemes including DDG Schemes and Renewable Energy Projects all across the country. Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) was established in 1992 to facilitate the empowerment of self employed women workers within the cooperative framework. SEWA’s members are home-based workers, small producers, street vendors, manual labourers and service providers including agricultural labourers and construction workers. SEWA’s main goals are to organize the women workers for full employment and self-reliance.