Now Reading: ODOP scheme creates jobs beyond looms in Varanasi
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ODOP scheme creates jobs beyond looms in Varanasi
Varanasi's One District One Product (ODOP) scheme is generating employment beyond traditional weaving, with a Common Facility Centre (CFC) growing from four to over 70 employees in two years. The facility at…
Varanasi's One District One Product (ODOP) scheme is generating employment beyond traditional weaving, with a Common Facility Centre (CFC) growing from four to over 70 employees in two years. The facility at Jagatpur offers digital printing, dyeing, and finishing under one roof, helping small weavers avoid moving between workshops.
Dhananjay Singh, who left a job in Panipat, Haryana, to work at a weaving unit in Bhatti village, says working closer to home has cut expenses and helped him save for his household. Weaver Shailesh Singh expanded production with a 25% subsidy capped at Rs 10 lakh under ODOP, creating more jobs for operators like Dhananjay.
The CFC employs printing artisans, machine operators, and designers, including recent graduates. One designer said the job gave him financial independence after college. The scheme's investment in common infrastructure is creating a new job cluster around the traditional Banarasi saree craft.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The ODOP scheme, launched in 2018, aims to boost traditional industries across Uttar Pradesh by providing credit, subsidies, and common facilities. Varanasi's focus on Banarasi sarees has helped formalize a sector where most weavers work informally at home. The CFC model reduces fragmentation: small producers previously paid multiple middlemen for each production stage. With over 70 jobs at one centre, the approach shows how infrastructure investment can create skilled roles, designers, machine operators, that break the hereditary skill cycle. Watch for similar centres in other ODOP districts like Lucknow (chikan work) and Saharanpur (wood carving) to test replicability.
Source: indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
