Context: Recently, Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched two projects— (i) Revival of Namda craft of Kashmir as a special pilot project under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 3.0 and (ii) upskilling of artisans and weavers of Kashmir under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), component of PMKVY.

Need

• Jammu and Kashmir expressed the need to organise a project for the preservation and revival of dying traditional crafts of the region as the handicraft sector is the major employment generator there. 
• It was observed that the heritage and traditional skill clusters required skilled artisans from villages to meet the demand for traditional crafts in Jammu and Kashmir. This initiative aims at industry and market linkage, encouraging micro-entrepreneurship.

About Namda Craft

• Namda is a form of matting. 

Made of: They are made from wool by practice of felting the wool rather than weaving it. The Felted carpets are predominantly made of pure wool

• Namda is usually a sandwich of many layers of wool flattened over each other. After a layer is spread, it is sprinkled homogenously with water and pressed with a tool known as ‘pinjra’(woven willow wicker)

Origin: Namda craft is widely thought to have originated in the late 4th century B.C. from Sindh which is part of Pakistan now. It is said that in India a person named Nubi created the first felted the woolen fabric to protect horse of Emperor Akbar’s from cold. 

• Uses: Namda Craft is extensively used in Kashmir households for floor covering and mattresses.

Reasons for Decline of Namda Craft

• Due to the low availability of raw materials, lack of skilled manpower and marketing techniques, the export of Namda craft has declined almost 100% between 1998 and 2008. 
• Therefore, through these special projects under PMKVY, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has designed a short-term training curriculum to preserve this endangered craft. 

Key objective of these projects

• To boost and preserve the traditional Namda craft of Kashmir and upskill the local weavers and artisans to enhance their productivity through RPL assessment and certification. 

Significance of these projects

• The Namda project will be an industry-based training program with beneficiaries involved in Namda Crafts Production who will contribute towards preserving and reviving the rich heritage associated with the unique craft in Kashmir.
• This will also improve the access of existing artisans of Namda crafts cluster in Kashmir besides enhancing their prospects of employability.