The All India Handicrafts Board was established in 1952 to advise the Government on problems of handicrafts and to suggest measures for improvement and development. The Board was also required to study technical, marketing, financial, organizational, artistic and other aspects of handicrafts and to formulate plans on these lines.
The operational speculation of All India Handicrafts Board includes giving advice and aid to the state Governments for planning and executing schemes for the development of handicrafts. Every State and Union territories has different department for the development of Handicrafts Industry. The State level corporations look after the matter of marketing, promotion, financial aid to small scale industries, and other programs.
The All India Handicrafts Board assisted the state governments in setting up their Design and Technical centers in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Orissa, Manipur, Tripura, Haryana, West Bengal and Goa.
A few state corporations dealing with small-scale industries and other products have taken up marketing and export promotion of handicrafts. Besides taking up direct exports, these corporations are also expected to guide and help private exporters. In these centers, craftsmen and the artists jointly work out new designs and items in selected crafts. The artists strive to combine the traditional design with the modern one. The handicraft items are carefully crafted in a way that they retain the ethnic value, while they can be put to modern day use. All India Organizations possess three of India`s most popular handicrafts items viz. hand printed textiles, carpets and `zari` work. These Associations serve as a platform for consultations among the manufacturers and exporters on one hand and the Handicrafts Board on the other. The Board uses these Associations to disseminate information useful to crafts.
The All India Handicrafts Board comprises a number of handloom and handicraft organisations which are separately famous for their creations in particular handicraft.
The Handicrafts and Hand looms Export Corporation of India, a popular organisation of All India Handicrafts Board was established in 1962. This organisation promotes exports and development of potential market execution of Whole Sale and retail Orders.
The Central Cottage Industries Corporation Pvt. Ltd another organization under the All India Handicrafts Board is a registered society that runs Central Cottage Industries Emporium in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai to sell the handicrafts products of India. The All India Hand loom Fabrics Marketing Cooperative Society Ltd. is supported and promoted by All India Hand loom Board. It has various handloom emporiums in all metro cities, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad etc. and few branches not only in India but in abroad.
The All India Handicrafts Board is responsible for export promotion, market development, and arranging exhibitions etc of the handicrafts. The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council is responsible for the promotion of Jewellery, Diamond, Stones, and Pearls craft of India. The Handicrafts and Handlooms Export Corporation of India is responsible for exports efforts of private sector and promotes Indian Participation in International Exhibitions.
The Handloom Export Promotion Council works for the export promotion of Indian Handlooms in India. The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade provides Training Courses and publishes various survey reports. The Export Credit Guarantee Corporation provides exports credit intelligence, covers against various risks. The Export Inspection Council is responsible for Quality Control Issues, and Pre-shipment Act. The Federation of Indian Export Organization, The Trade Authority of India, was started in 1977 and this organisation works for exports and trade promotion and development.
The All India Handicrafts Board has been constituted under the chairmanship of Minister of Textiles with the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) as Member Secretary. The Board since its inception is relentlessly working to the development of handicraft sector.
