TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Goa Handicraft Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (GHRSSIDC) will distribute subsidy of Rs 58 lakh to 528 clay Ganesh idol artisans ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival which will be celebrated from September 9.
GHRSSIDC Chairman Lavu Mamletdar said artisans crafting clay Ganesh idols are eligible for the subsidy, under the scheme launched by the state government in 2008 to promote eco-friendly idols instead of plaster of Paris ones.
“The corporation has been providing subsidy of Rs 100 per idol for up to 250 idols. This move has increasingly led to replacement of plaster of Paris idols with clay idols,” he said at a press briefing.
Mamledar also said that subsidy which will be distributed in next couple of days is for the idols that were manufactured during the last festival. Mamlatdar, responding to a question said their teams inspect the workshops of the artisans, who apply for the scheme to ensure the idols are made of clay and not plaster of Paris . The corporation has also tied up with a Pune-based green non-governmental organization which specializes in making paper mache Ganesh idols.
According to records, 149 artisans from Pernem 113 from Bicholim, 74 from Ponda, 61 from Sattari, 55 from Bardez and five artisans from Vasco were registered to claim the subsidy. The government spent more than Rs 58 lakh to disburse the subsidy to 552 registered artisans. This year 577 artisans have registered themselves for the subsidy.
The GHRSSIDC has been selling the clay idols at their emporia situated at Vasco, Margao, Panjim and Sanvordem. This year, the chairman said, retail sale of Ganesh idols will be done from Ponda outlet as well. Last year, a total of 519 Ganesh idols were sold from which a total amount of Rs 3.30 lakh was collected.
The government has banned manufacturing, transportation, stocking and selling or even displaying plaster of Paris Ganesh idols under section 15 of the Environment (Protection) Act 1986.
Benefits given to clay Ganesh idol artisans under the Ganesh Idol Makers Scheme
Year Number of artisans Idols Amount
2008 364 37116 37,11,600
2009 437 41818 41,81,800
2010 502 46889 46,88,900
2011 524 56726 56,72,600
2012 528 58021 58,02,100
