Sometimes you read news about government schemes and just scroll past,but this one from Gujarat actually made me stop . Hastkala Setu Yojana (HSY) has apparently generated ₹102.08 crore in sales and created over 50,000 jobs for artisans. That's not small number ah.
This whole thing started back in 2020 under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel . The main idea was to help traditional arts and crafts,and give skilled artisans better way to sell their products. It's basically part of that bigger push for self-reliance and local manufacturing that PM Narendra Modi talks about.
And they really went all out with it . scheme is running in all 34 districts of Gujarat,which is pretty big scale. It’s a joint effort between the Office of the Commissioner of Cottage and Rural Industries and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII). The state government put in around ₹58 crore for this .
The most impressive part for me is who they've reached . They've registered over 21,690 artisans,and get this,a massive 82% of them are women . They've also made sure to include people from Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes.
And honestly,this is where you see the real work being done.
It’s not just about giving money,they are actually training people .
- Over 15,586 artisans have received entrepreneurship development training .
- 9,300 artisans have been connected directly with buyers through B2B orders .
- More than 2,000 artisans trained in digital marketing .
But real proof is in earnings . Before this,only 9% of these artisans were making more than ₹15,000 per month. Now,that number has jumped to 50% . And the number of people who depend on handicrafts as their main income has doubled from 20% to 45%. This means it's becoming a proper career for many,not just a side thing.
Of course,it's not all perfect . The report mentions they've had problems with things like documentation and getting artisans to use modern technology. These are always tricky parts with any big project .
But it seems they are aware of these issues and are trying to work on them by focusing on technology upgrades and new designs . They even extended the scheme until 2025-26 because of delays from COVID pandemic.
It's really good to see this kind of focused effort to help local craftspeople connect directly to market . Makes you wonder if this kind of model can work in other states also…
