Delhi Hikes Handicrafts Awards Prize Money 3x

New Delhi, Oct 11 (PTI) The Delhi government on Saturday said it has increased the prize money of Handicrafts Awards by three times and added more categories to include women, specially-abled persons as well as startups and innovators.

The prize money has been tripled -- Rs 1,00,000 for Rajya Shilpkaar Puraskar and Rs 75,000 for Rajya Dakshata Puraskar, industries minister of Delhi government Manjinder Singh Sirsa said in a statement.

The number of awards was also doubled with 6 Rajya Shilpkaar Puraskar (including one exclusive for women) and 18 Rajya Dakshata Puraskar.

New categories of women, divyang artisans, young talent, startups, and design innovation were also introduced, he said.

"Earlier, the prize did not reflect the true value of craftsmanship in today's economy. By enhancing both the monetary and symbolic value of the awards, we hope to inspire the next generation of artisans to innovate, preserve, and promote Delhi's rich craft heritage," Sirsa said.

The award structure, last revised in 2013-14, had not kept pace with inflation and evolving craftsmanship standards.

The Delhi government's revised framework increases the Rajya Shilpkaar Puraskar (state award) from Rs 30,000 to Rs 1,00,000 and the Rajya Dakshata Puraskar (state merit award) from Rs 20,000 to Rs 75,000, said the minister.

It is believed that the revised prize money will also attract established artisans who earlier did not participate due to low prize amounts, he added.