Statesman News Service MALDA, July 3: The National Agricultural Bank for Rural Development (Nabard) has extended financial support to the silk cluster development programme in Malda’s Kaliachak area. The programme is designed to build up the artisans’ capacity and train them for export designing. Providing financial support to a NGO, the Nabard is planning to train about 300 to 400 artisans related to silk trade in this region. The Nabard will also bear expenses for the experts, who are scheduled to be sent by the National Institute of Small Industry Extension Training, Hyderabad, to train the artisans. An NGO, Rajadighi Community Health Services Society, has been chosen to conduct a study for the selection of artisans for the development of textile industries based on silk yarn produced in Malda, a Nabard official said. RCHSS staff are working in Kaliachak, a place famous for silkworm rearing, production of cocoons, and manufacturing silk yarn. Recently, a large percentage of silk yarn producers here have shifted from production of fine silk to coarse silk to make more profits as it has more demand in export market. “The objective of this programme is to produce value added cloth based on silk yarn manufactured in Malda. A recent report shows that the Indian silk textile market collects 75 per cent of its total requirement of silk yarn from the Malda district,” Mr Sukumar Chattopadhayay, district development manager, Nabard, Malda unit said. Earlier the state’s small scale and cottage industries minister, Mr Manab Mukherjee, had decided to develop the handloom industry, producing quality textile in Malda after coming to known that Bhagalpur and Nepal traders produce high quality fabric using coarse silk yarn produced in Malda. Mr Chattopadhayay also said that this will be a three-year training programme under the guidance of Nabard. The RCHSS study would be completed within a few weeks and an action plan created for this project. The report of the study will also be sent to the regional head quarter of Nabard, Kolkata, soon for its formal approval, Mr Chottopadhayay informed. According to him the united nation industrial development organisation (UNIDO) will also provide financial assistance to the NGOs for the silk cluster development programme for artisan in Jalpaiguri district and neighbouring Bhutan. The RCHSS has conducted survey on it in Jalpaiguri and Bhutan, he said. It is interesting to note that before 1882, the year when rail tracks were introduced in the British era, Buxa Duar (Fort) was used as the ‘silk route’ to China. Silk yarn produced in Malda was sent to China via this route.#
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