New Delhi, Jul 27 (IANS): A total of 8,381 weavers and artisans were benefitted from several initiatives undertaken by the North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC) from 2020-23, Union Minister for Development of North-East Region (DoNER) G Kishan Reddy informed on Thursday.

According to a data provided by the Minister in response to a question in Rajya Sabha, out of the 8,381 weavers and artisans benefited in the last three years from NEHHDC in the North Eastern Region, Assam recorded the highest number at 5,653, followed by Meghalaya 636 and Tripura 615.

The total number from Nagaland stood at 595, Arunachal Pradesh 472, Manipur 301, Sikkim 74 and Mizoram 35.

“The NEHHDC launched its e-commerce portal, and operates mobile outlets ‘Purbashree on Wheels’. It has also gone live on several online marketing platforms to connect the artisans with markets in India and abroad,” Reddy said.

For design interventions, technology upgradation, marketing collaboration etc, the corporation has signed over 30 MoUs with various entities, he added.

NEHHDC is an organisation that attempts to develop and promote the indigenous crafts of the NE Region by connecting craftsmen to prospective markets and consumers and generating economic,cultural and social opportunities for creators while adding cultural value for consumers. It is under the administrative control of the DoNER Ministry.