Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today sought the opening of a National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) centre in the state during his meeting with Union Textile Minister Samriti Irani in New Delhi.
The Chief Minister said as per the Skill India programme launched by the Central Government, such institutes were being opened to provide job-oriented training to the youth in each state. He further said Uttarakhand had its unique traditions and handicrafts, besides a large number of people in the hills were involved in rearing sheep and produced woolens, which are known all over.
Rawat said in the absence of proper training and technology, their products were not able to compete at the international level. He said in the absence of any such institute the traditional arts and crafts were getting lost and there was an urgent need to preserve and conserve such art forms. He hoped that if such a national institute was opened in Uttarakhand, the youth of the state would be able to amalgamate their traditional knowledge with modern and latest technology which ultimately would not only help in saving the traditional art form but would also provide jobs to them.