Delhi, Nov 05:
Vision Shri Kuldeep Raj Wattal, Chairman, Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC), had the honour of meeting the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during a high-level interaction convened exclusively for select Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) and their Chairpersons. The meeting was also graced by Hon’ble Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, and Hon’ble Union Minister of Finance Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman. It was a matter of great pride for the Indian handmade carpet industry that CEPC was among the few EPCs invited to the meeting, and notably, was given the first opportunity to speak before the Hon’ble Prime Minister — a recognition of the sector’s significant contribution to India’s rural economy and exports. During the interaction, Shri Wattal presented a brief on the handmade carpet sector, which employs over 2.5 million artisans, mostly women, across rural clusters such as Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Jaipur, Panipat, Agra, and Srinagar. He outlined key policy recommendations to strengthen the industry, including grant of Very Special Status, Focus Product Scheme benefits, extension of interest subvention, global branding through “Handmade in India – Crafting Stories” campaign, export promotion support, relief under Section 43B(h), and reduction in ECGC premium burden to ease credit costs for MSME exporters. The CEPC Chairman emphasized that the sector, which contributes nearly USD 2 billion in exports annually and holds over 40% of the global handmade carpet market, is poised to lead India’s next national transformation — the “Handicraft Revolution” — empowering rural India and aligning with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local. Shri Wattal expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Hon’ble Prime Minister for his visionary leadership and personal attention to the handmade carpet sector’s aspirations, assuring that the industry stands committed to advancing India’s global leadership in sustainable and handmade excellence
