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India-based Rug Company to Provide 10,000
Low-Income Indians with Access to Training : India Current
Affairs
January 14, 2012 4:52 pm
The Jaipur Rugs Company
announced today that it will train some 10,000 people in
northern India on advanced carpet weaving techniques and
provide them with access to global markets by 2015 as part
of the firm’s commitment to the Business Call to Action
(BCtA), a global initiative that encourages companies to
fight poverty while boosting business opportunities in
developing countries.
Jaipur Rugs —one of the largest manufacturers of
hand-knotted carpets in India— is helping low-income people
—approximately 60 percent of who are women— in the most
economically disadvantaged regions of India gain access to
local employment opportunities. Weavers in Bihar, Gujarat,
Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan will receive
one-month of training in advanced carpet weaving techniques
and quality control to improve the quality and quantity of
rugs produced.
Weavers that demonstrate exceptional carpet making skills
will go on to receive training to train and manage other
weavers in the village.
“Although there are 2.5 million artisans weaving rugs in
India, most are not well-paid. In recent years, weavers have
seen their wages plummet due to contractors imposing unfair
pricing practices when purchasing carpets at the village
level,” said Susan Chaffin, BCtA Programme Manager. “We at
the BCtA welcome Jaipur Rugs’ commitment to creating new and
sustainable job opportunities for women and unskilled,
low-income labourers in villages thereby enabling them to
earn a secure livelihood.”
According to the International Labour Organisation,
approximately 17 percent of men and 66 percent of women in
rural villages are unemployed. Among those that have jobs,
30 percent of men and 36 percent of women live below the
poverty line.
Initiatives such as Jaipur’s provide jobs and opportunities
to those people that need it the most. Trained weavers
contracted through Jaipur Rugs earn an average of US$300-
$500 more per year than unskilled artisans.
”Through this initiative, we have the opportunity to provide
sustainable livelihoods to the poorest of the poor in an
economically disadvantaged region of the world,” said Asha
Chaudhary, CEO of Jaipur Rugs “Each time you buy a rug and I
sell it, we contribute to alleviation of poverty and create
employment for underserved communities.”
Since its inception, Jaipur Rugs has provided training to
more than 28,000 low-income home-based weavers and an
additional 12,000 wool spinners and dyers. This latest
commitment by
Jaipur Rugs is part of the company’s long-term growth
strategy and plans to extend its market globally.
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