Union Minister of State for Textile Darshana Vikram Jardosh has said that Jammu & Kashmir is a priority region for the Textile Ministry.
Chairing the National Institute of Fashion Technology’s (NIFT) second convocation at Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre, the Minister said that J&K is a priority region for the Textile Ministry. She appealed to the youth to join in making India prosperous and become the real ambassadors of ‘Make in India’.
The Minister felicitated around 28 graduating students on the occasion and said that she thanks the parents [from outside the Union Territory] for opting for the Srinagar campus of NIFT.
The Minister also informed that Srinagar is all set to house NIFT’s largest campus of the country. The campus should be ready by the end of this year.
The Srinagar campus, which is 17th of the institute in the country, will be spread over 16.6 acres in Budgam’s Ompora area and will come up at the cost of Rs. 287 crore. The centre has 35 per cent reservation for students from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
She also added that a Design Resource Centre (DRC) will also be set up at NIFT Srinagar “to create design-oriented excellence in the local handloom sector” and “and will play a pivotal role in the promotion of the local craft industry.”
The Minister insisted that all stakeholders of the handloom sector shall have access to the design repository from this DRC. We will also offer evening diploma courses for artisans.
Javid Ahmad, Director, NIFT, said the campus in Srinagar is an emerging campus offering both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. NIFT Srinagar has tied up with around 20 fashion institutions overseas for broader exposure of students and 76 per cent of students are already placed.
