People should patronise handicrafts that are native to heritage towns such as Thanjavur, said P. Mohan, Rural Industries Minister, here on Friday.
He inspected the Poompuhar showroom of the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd. He saw the Nachiyarkoil lamps, Thanjavur Art Plates, Thanjavur paintings, Thanjavur dolls, and handicrafts displayed in the showroom. He saw the production of Thanjavur Art plates.
Order book
He said that artisans producing works like Thanjavur Art Plates and Thanjavur Paintings should be nurtured and patronised.
He later visited Tamil Nadu Small Industries Corporation (TANSI) and Small Industries Development Corporation (SIDCO) industrial estates. He said that TANSI at Thanjavur had secured orders to the tune of Rs. 3 crore for producing iron tables and chairs for schools and colleges.
It is involved in producing equipment for Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd (Tangedco). Steps had been taken for establishing an instant food producing centre at SIDCO industrial estate. SIDCO was providing sites for starting small industries.
The Minister said that a new building was built for the District Industries Centre (DIC) at Thanjavur at a cost of Rs. 1 crore. The old building had been renovated. DIC was giving entrepreneurship training to students and help them start industries by providing subsidy and bank loans.
Later, the Minister held discussions with officials of DIC, TANSI, and SIDCO of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, and Nagapattinam districts at the collectorate.
K. Thangamuthu, Chairman of Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board; M. Rangasamy and M. Rathnasamy, MLAs; Amutharani Ravichandran, Chairperson of Thanjavur District Panchayat Council; and Savithiri Gopal, Chairperson of Thanjavur Municipality; accompanied the Minister during his visit.
