Imphal: Textiles, Commerce and Industry Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh inaugurated a One Day Training Programme on Packaging here on Saturday and said that the training programme is important for standardisation of local made products.
The One Day training programme was held at the City Convention, Palace Gate organised by the Paonamart under the Directorate of Handlooms & Textiles Saturday. The Paonamart is an online marketing platform to promote and sell Manipur local made products.
Speaking as the Chief Guest of the inaugural function, the Minister said Manipur has the maximum number of weavers and artisans in the country and that their number is only increasing. This is an indication of Manipur’s progress in the handloom and handicraft sector, he added.
He stressed that promoting our locally produced items including handloom and handicraft products to an international platform will further boost the Prime Minister’s vision of India becoming an Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant or self-sufficient).
Biswajit also said that we can realise our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of making India an international hub for manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat only when all States start promoting their uniquely produced items.
Emphasising on the importance of packaging finished products for marketing purposes, the Minister asked all participants especially the entrepreneurs to take the training seriously.
The Minister said that proper packaging will improve the value of our products, make them export quality, protect our fragile products during transit or transportation and during storage.
In a message to the youth, he said there can be no success without hard work. If we yearn to reach our destination, we have to work hard.
The Minister also said that the government supports the youth and further spoke on various schemes like the Manipur Start-Up and Stand-Up Manipur which provide financial assistance to the young entrepreneurs.
In his presidential speech, Textiles, Commerce and Industry commissioner RK Dinesh Singh said that markets for our locally produced items will automatically expand when the demand increases. He said packaging adds value and beautifies the product which will eventually increase the demand.
The training programme is an essential step towards development of our State and our entrepreneurs. He said if we want to develop or take our unique products outside, than packaging is one of the most important ingredients.
Proper packaging not only increases the attractiveness of a product but also increases its shelf life, he added.
Dinish also expressed the need to explore the feasibility of Central Clusters for packaging.
Director, Indian Institute of Packaging, Mumbai, Dr. Tanweer Alam said how using the best packaging can improve one’s business. When preparing a product for marketing, the packaging is an important tool for the safe delivery to the customer, he added.
The inaugural function was also attended by Director Handlooms & Textiles K Lamlee Kamei, officials concerned and entrepreneurs.
It may be mentioned that the Minister along with the officials of the directorate visited the Exhibition Area. The inaugural function was followed by a Technical Session of training.
