Rs 46 lakh sanctioned for Ganesh idol artisans

PANJIM, DEC 6
Around 503 Ganesh idol artisans were sanctioned Rs 46 lakh under Handicraft Corporation scheme, last week.
However, Goa Handicrafts Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation’s (GHRSSIDC) has failed to implement its revised scheme, this year due to state government’s lethargy.
As per the revised scheme, the government was supposed to pay Rs 100 each to maximum 250 idols.
GHRSSIDC official said the appraisal committee headed by Sameer Salgaoncar, which met last week, has sanctioned Rs 46.50 lakhs to 503 Ganesh idol artisans.
 “Around 530 artisans had applied for subsidy. However 28 applications were rejected as they failed to fit as per our guidelines,” official said.
As per the scheme, each artisan would be paid Rs 100 each for maximum 150 idols.
The subsidy is aimed to promote clay idols and shun idols carved out from plaster of Paris (PoP).
Pernem (143) and Bicholim (120) are the two talukas from where the maximum numbers of artisan have applied for the subsidy. They are followed by Ponda (70), Sattari (55), Bardez (52) and Canacona (26).
The official said that the sanctioned amount is ten percent more than the last year. Last year the corporation paid Rs 41 lakhs to the artisans as against Rs 36 lakhs in 2008.
“Rs 50 lakhs budget had been announced by the state government as a subsidy to the artisans for 2010,” official said adding that if government now decides to revise the scheme, then the corporation will have to pay additional around Rs 25 lakhs, from its own coffers.