Goa Khadi & Village Industries Board Chairman visits Odisha
Odisha Khadi & Village Industries Board has extended collaboration with the Goa Khadi and Village Industries Board for better and more widespread sales of Odisha’s Khadi & Village Industries products nationally and internationally. Goa is the third state after Karnataka and Jharkhand respectively, with which such extensive collaboration has been sought. In this regard, Hon’ble President of Goa KVIB and MLA Sj. Benjamin Silva kindly consented to come on a two day visit to Odisha thereby honoring the Hon’ble President, OK&VIB, Sj. Tejeswar Parida’s invitation. Yesterday afternoon, he visited Puri District’s world-famous handicraft (Chanduaa) and ready-made garments production centre, which has been set up with support of OK&VIB.
Later, he visited a stone-carving unit near Dhauli. Seeing the expertise and talent of Odisha’s artisans from close quarters, Sj. Silva has been enamoured and has praised them highly. In the evening, he visited the ongoing First National Odisha Khadi Utsav 2015 in the Khadi Board Premises. On this occasion, in the valedictory function held in their honour, visiting dignitaries from Goa profusely praised the Odisha artisans’ skill and expertise, along with praising the ongoing exhibition meant for development of Khadi and Village Industries, Sj. Silva stressed on the growth of mutual collaboration between Goa and Odisha K&VIBs.
In this programme, GK&VIB’s CEO, Smt. Pushpa Arlekar also participated and focused upon importance of exchanging knowledge and artistic skills, and establishment of closer business relationships among the two boards. Also, GK&VIB’s Accounts Officer Sj. Rajendra Bhagat participated in this programme.
Chairing the session, President of OK&VIB, Sj. Tejeswar Parida said that mutual cooperation between the two boards would herald a new beginning and marks a historic milestone. As no President of GK&VIB had ever visited Odisha, the visit of Sj. Silva shows his respect and love towards Odisha. The President also said that as Goa is an international travel and tourism destination, if Odisha’s khadi, silk sarees, readymade garments, Dhokra products and tribal jewellery etc. can be sold there, then our state’s K&VI products can find nation-wide and world-wide acceptance and popularity.
After the programme, both the Boards’ members had a detailed discussion on establishment of mutual cooperation and extension of trade, in the President’s office. For better sales of Odisha’s village industries products like those from coir industries, cashew refining, coconut water processing, coconut oil preparation, readymade garments, tribal jewellery, Dhokra etc. as well as of Odisha’s silk, tussar sarees and other textiles, cotton khadi textiles etc. in Goa, both states’ Board representatives had a discussion. It was decided that both states’ representative groups would visit the respective states and finalise the detailed plan in this regard. In the field of K&VI, both states would pay special attention to exchange of knowledge and skills specially possessed by each of them. President of OKVIB, Sj. Parida requested President of GKVIB to extend full cooperation for supporting more self-employment generation activities among Odisha’s educated unemployed youth especially in the field of various services industries like tourism, hospitality etc.
Sj. Parida also requested President of GKVIB to extend necessary cooperation to the numerous talented artisans from various districts of Odisha working in Goa, who faced any difficulties there. Witnessing Odisha’s world-famous Odissi Dance in the cultural programme, the Goa Board representatives highly
praised it and stressed upon increasing cooperation in the cultural field, in the near future.
On this occasion, the members of Rotary Club of Bhubaneswar led by Sri Rushi Pattanaik felicitated the Goa Board’s representatives. In the Khadi Utsav, alongwith Goa Board’s representatives, Odisha’s Hon’ble MLA Sj. Purnachandra Swain, erstwhile Rajya Sabha member and noted freedom fighter Sj. Bhabani Charan Pattnaik, KV&IB Member Sj. Soubhagya Rout and Board’s Secretary Sj. Remis Kerketa were present in the discussion with Goa Board’s representatives.