Mehbooba Mufti flags artisan distress, demands loan waiver and ban on machine-made copperware

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has brought the plight of Kashmir’s traditional artisans back into the spotlight, calling for a waiver of their loans, access to labour welfare benefits and strict enforcement of a law aimed at protecting handmade copperware from machine-made competition.

Speaking outside the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, Mufti made an impassioned appeal for the protection of the Valley’s traditional crafts, saying that artisans whose skills have been passed down through generations are struggling to sustain their livelihoods as machine-made products eat into their earnings.

She urged the government to revive the protective measures introduced during the tenure of her father, former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, under which 26 notified items were required to be manufactured by hand rather than by machines.

“Our artisans are important, and we need to promote them,” was the central message of her remarks, in which she underlined the cultural and economic significance of Kashmir’s handicraft traditions and the urgent need for government intervention.

Mufti said artisans who once earned around Rs 1,000 a day were now struggling to make even Rs 200 because of machine-made alternatives. She pointed to the difficult working conditions of craftsmen operating out of small shops and said their declining incomes had pushed them into distress.

“These artisans’ hands are worth their weight in gold,” she said, arguing that handmade crafts risk losing their value if machines are allowed to replace traditional skills.

Calling for immediate relief, Mufti said the artisans should be brought under the labour category so that they could access benefits available to workers. She also demanded that loans of around Rs 1.8 lakh extended to them be waived, citing their precarious financial condition.

Invoking the legacy of Shah-e-Hamadan, whom she credited with bringing handicraft traditions to Kashmir, Mufti said the Valley’s artisanal heritage needed active protection rather than being left to compete with industrial production on unequal terms.

Alongside the demand for artisan welfare, Mufti used the occasion to turn the spotlight on the condition of roads in Downtown Srinagar, questioning the performance of the Omar Abdullah-led government despite the area having elected representatives with a strong mandate.

Pointing to damaged roads and uncovered or hazardous manholes around Jamia Masjid, she said the condition of the neighbourhood was unacceptable given its religious, cultural and historical importance.

“Look at the condition of the roads here. I do not know what has happened to the roads,” she said, questioning the gap between repeated political emphasis on Srinagar and the state of its basic civic infrastructure.

Mufti noted that the area around Jamia Masjid, along with neighbourhoods associated with prominent religious shrines, deserved far greater attention from the administration.

Taking an apparent dig at the National Conference-led government, she questioned what had actually been delivered for the city despite the electoral support extended to its representatives.

“You have been elected with so much support and so many votes. Now, at the very least, please take care of these roads,” she said, urging the government to ensure proper repairs rather than allowing residents to continue dealing with deteriorating infrastructure".