Credit card issuer American Express on Tuesday announced a grant of ₹1 crore to Dastkar, a society of crafts and craftspeople, to support over 12,000 women artisans from 19 states in the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the company's CSR initiative, the grant to Dastkar's Artisan Support Fund will provide financial assistance for wages and raw materials along with marketing assistance to craftswomen involved in varied arts and crafts, including mirror-work embroiderers, weavers, basket makers, fibre craft artisans, block printers, among others, it said.
In a statement, American Express said craftswomen from Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Jharkhand, Manipur, Telangana and Bihar will be covered for assistance.
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Speaking about the initiative, American Express Banking Corp India Senior Vice President and CEO Manoj Adlakha said, “Through our funding to Dastkar, we will support the sustenance of India's craft community in the wake of the pandemic. We are proud to contribute in mitigating the impact and conserving the country's diverse cultural heritage.”
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Dastkar Chairperson and Founder member Laila Tyabji said, locked out of earnings and employment, these craftswomen require assistance – both financial and marketing. The corporate sector has a crucial role to play here.
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“We thank American Express for recognizing the urgency of the situation and providing much-needed capital to help our women artisans recover from the devastating impacts of the pandemic and rebuild their livelihood,” Ms. Tyabji said.
A key component of the partnership is marketing support and visibility for the artists, the company added.