Lucknow, Aug 18 (IANS): The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh will organise a three-day exhibition to promote pottery and clay ware this Diwali season.

The UP Mati Kala Board has started preparations for the event during which 150 artisans from across the state will showcase their products.

With the focus on 'Vocal for Local', the main attraction of the exhibition will be products like idols of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi, decorative earthen lamps and other clay and handmade products that are in demand during the festival season.

The fact that products like idols of Ganesh and Lakshmi, earthen diyas and other products worth Rs 50 lakh were sold during a similar event last year, has made organisers confident of holding a similar event on a larger scale this year.

Last year, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had purchased all the remaining products of craftsmen when they went to meet him on the concluding day of the exhibition.

Additional chief secretary (ACS), Khadi, Navneet Sehgal said that along with display and sale of handicraft, a 3-day long seminar and workshop to attain finesse in terracotta pottery under Mati Kala/ Pottery Development Scheme will also be organised.

At the seminar, experts from top institutions will shed light on the technical aspects of their discipline to the artisans who will attend the event from all over the state.

"The efforts of the board are directed towards making the market competitive for artisans which will not only improve quality of products but also fetch better prices," he said.

Apart from this, to realise the vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' with the help of local administration in every district of the state, a three-day Mati Kala temporary sale centre will be set up for all the artisans, thereby providing a market to their products.

The Mati Kala Board was established by the government in July 2018 with the aim of protection and promotion of local skills. Schemes like ODOP, Vishwakarma Shram Samman have the same objective.