Context: Monpa Handmade Paper Industry, a 1000-year-old heritage art has come to life once again, with the committed efforts of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
Aim

• To revive the art and engage the local youths with this art professionally and earn.
• On the instruction of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Chairman, a team of scientists and officials of Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI) Jaipur, was deputed at Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh to set up the unit and training the locals.

About Monpa

• The Monpa Handmade Paper art is practised in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The art of making Monpa handmade paper originated in China over 1000 years ago.
• Gradually the art travelled across to India and it became an integral part of local custom and culture in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh which is just 30 km from China.
• The paper has great historic and religious significance as it is the paper used for writing Buddhist scriptures and hymns in monasteries.

Significance of the paper Art

• The Monpa handmade paper, will be made from the bark of a local tree called Shugu Sheng, which has medicinal values too. Hence availability of raw material will not be a problem.
• Handmade paper has high commercial value that can be harnessed to create local employment.
• By increasing production of Monpa handmade paper, it can again be exported to other countries.
• This is a local product with great global potential, which is aligned with the Mantra of "Local to Global" given by the Prime Minister.

 About KVIC

• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body formed by the Government of India, under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956.
• It is an apex organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and village industries within India
• KVIC seeks to promote the development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas.
• It is the nodal agency of Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) under which loans will be provided for setting up units of processing, bottling, packaging and labelling units for the honey.

Objectives of KVIC

• The social objective of providing employment in rural areas.
• The economic objective of producing saleable articles.
• The wider objective of creating self-reliance amongst the poor.