Rajeevika and Indian Institute of Crafts and Design (IICD) Organize One-Day Orientation-cum-Dialogue Workshop for Women Artisans
The State View, Jaipur Sunil Sharma
A one-day orientation-cum-dialogue workshop was organized on Tuesday at the Chaupal Training Center in Jaipur, under the joint auspices of Rajeevika (Rajasthan State Rural Livelihoods Development Council) and the Indian Institute of Crafts and Design (IICD). The objective of the workshop was to strengthen the capabilities of women artisans associated with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and to enhance their market access through product design, quality, packaging, branding, and marketing.
25 women artisans from 16 districts of Rajasthan participated in the workshop. The program was graced by the presence of Dr. Tulika Gupta, Director – IICD, Rashmi Parikh, Chief Manager (Projects & Incubation) – IICD, Dharmendra Singh, Field Officer – IICD, Anushka Mukherjee, Research Assistant – IICD, and Dr. Ramanika Kaur, State Project Manager from Rajeevika.
The program began with an interactive session between IICD experts and the women artisans, followed by an exhibition of products brought by the participants from their respective districts. The need for design improvements, standardized packaging, effective branding, and certification in line with current market requirements was highlighted. The limited awareness of the women artisans regarding raw material availability, market identification, pricing, and business expansion strategies was also underscored.
In this context, special discussions were held on digital marketing, product photography, WhatsApp Business, and the effective use of other digital platforms. During the workshop, it was agreed that product-specific design training, capacity building related to packaging and branding, guidance on certification processes, and structured training programs related to market and marketing would be organized at the local level, tailored to the needs of the women artisans. On this occasion, IICD also expressed its commitment to developing special training modules for SHG women artisans related to product development, packaging, branding, and marketing.
Rajeevika believes that this orientation-cum-dialogue workshop has proven to be a powerful platform for effective communication between women artisans and technical experts, and this initiative is a significant step towards strengthening the sustainability, competitiveness, and market integration of SHG-based enterprises.
