Udupi
Koraga community members, who have been weaving baskets for a livelihood since decades, are all set to diversify their skills, through a monthlong training programme.
In a bid to make the community members skilled in manufacturing various trendy items that will fetch them good returns, the District administration, skill development entrepreneurship and livelihood department and Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) have launched a 30-day training programme at Padukone in Kundapur.
The training programme will help the tribal community members modernize their skills and thereby adopt changes, instead of just sticking on to the traditional profession of weaving baskets from cane. The training will make them skilled in designing flowerpots, lampshades, letter boxes, trays, keychains, clips, hairbands, pen holders, teapoys, and other handicraft items using bamboo.
District ITDP Project Officer Dood Peer told that the training has already begun, and will continue till January 30.
As many as 60 participants from Koraga community have been attending the training, conducted by expert resource persons. Participants in the age group of 25-60 years are being trained to diversify their skills based on the current market demand. We are also planning to provide suitable market platforms for the products manufactured by the community, he said.
As a result of the influx of various products made from plastic and other materials by large-scale industries into the market, there is a decline in demand for the traditional cane baskets woven by the community. Therefore, the training will equip them with skills to create products that can secure a more prominent place in the market, he said.
While the Koraga population of Karnataka is about 15,000, District alone has 2,500 Koraga families with 10,000 members, he said, adding that resource persons Babu Koraga Japthi and Deepa Japthi are training the participants.
