New Delhi, Aug 12: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday launched “JK Karigari,” the official marketplace for authentic products from Jammu and Kashmir, during the Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav which commenced here in Delhi.
The move is a major step towards connecting the region’s centuries-old handcrafted heritage directly with national and global buyers. Launched as an initiative of the Housing & Urban Development Department under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), JK Karigari has been designed to empower urban women Self-Help Groups, preserve traditional crafts, and create sustainable livelihoods across the Union Territory.
Present on the occasion were MPs Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzaan, Sajjad Kichloo, and Gurvinder Singh Oberoi; Commissioner Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department Mandeep Kaur and her entire team, including Vikas Sharma (MD NUDM), Shabir Hussain Bhat (VC Srinagar Development Authority), Kapil Sharma (Director Urban Local Bodies Jammu), Mridhu Salathia (MD NULM), Ankush Kapoor (Chief Information Security Officer, HUDD, JK), SHG women, and other officers of the State Urban Development Agency (SUDA).
The platform will showcase 100 percent authentic Kashmiri handicrafts, including Pashmina, Kani and Sozni shawls, papier-mâché, walnut wood carving, crewel embroidery, carpets, and organic local produce, as well as Jammu handicrafts including Chabri, Macrame Home & Devotional Decor, traditional food products, and wooden craft—all made by skilled artisans and SHGs. Every product listed on JK Karigari will carry a QR code with artisan details, district, and GI tag to ensure secure and transparent shopping, with payments going directly to the artisan groups and no middlemen involved.
The Commissioner Secretary termed the launch a “game changer for urban women artisans” and stated that the initiative will provide them with a dedicated, government-backed platform to reach customers beyond local markets. She informed that the department currently has 4,000 SHGs with about 50,000 women members associated with DAY-NULM across J&K. She said the government is actively exploring ways to encourage more interstate collaborations to further boost the business of SHGs and give their products a wider national footprint.
She described JK Karigari as a revolutionary concept of the government that brings together heritage, technology, and inclusive growth. She added that the main motive behind this government-backed marketplace is to ensure that artisans receive a genuine price for their products while consumers get authentic quality products directly from the makers. By integrating QR-based traceability, pre-approval of SHGs by DAY-NULM City Mission, and secure digital transactions, the government is ensuring both authenticity for buyers and sustainable income for artisans.
The Commissioner Secretary said that with continuous government support and better market linkages, these women artisans are now confidently stepping into larger markets with products that reflect both tradition and innovation.
Nodal Officers of the event, Kapil Sharma and Vikas Sharma, along with Chief Executive Officer Urban Development Authority Kashmir Tazayun Mukhtar and MD DAY-NULM Mridhu Salathia, also addressed the gathering on the occasion. They made a fervent appeal to the public and institutional buyers to visit the JK Karigari stall and experience the exquisite collection of traditionally blended, handmade products of Jammu and Kashmir. They emphasised that the platform not only showcases the artistic brilliance of local artisans but also serves as a bridge between heritage craftsmanship and contemporary markets.
They informed that SHG members associated with the mission have been provided with extensive skill upgradation training under various capacity-building programmes. They said these interventions have played a pivotal role in enhancing their craftsmanship, product quality, and market readiness, enabling them to emerge as the choicest sellers of authentic J&K products.
The launch also builds on J&K’s growing interstate collaborations for market access. An agreement signed on 9 November 2024 between the National Urban Livelihoods Mission, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, and the Uttar Pradesh Handicrafts Development & Marketing Corporation Limited, Department of MSME and Export Promotion, GoUP, aims to enhance market linkages and promote SHG products and handicrafts from Jammu and Kashmir in Uttar Pradesh and vice versa. The pact focuses on supporting SHG members and artisans in expanding their market reach, increasing income, improving economic self-sufficiency, and encouraging cross-learning and sharing of best practices between SHGs of both regions, with facilitation support from Akanksha Samiti, UP.
On the occasion, the SHG beneficiaries also shared their experiences and expressed gratitude to the government, especially the Housing & Urban Development Department, for providing them with such a large marketing platform, which they said had remained their biggest challenge for a long time.
