COVID-19: Hans Raj Hans writes to PM, requests help for folk artistes, artisans

In his letter to the prime minister earlier this month, Hans said COVID-19 has not only caused a health crisis but also posed serious economic problems before the people. "The lockdown has affected handicraft craftsmen, artistes and folk singers the most.

Famous sufi singer and BJP MP Hans Raj Hans has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to help folk artistes and artisans going through a financial crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown. In his letter to the prime minister earlier this month, Hans said COVID-19 has not only caused a health crisis but also posed serious economic problems before the people.

"The lockdown has affected handicraft craftsmen, artistes and folk singers the most. The livelihood of these people is in deep crisis as all their means of income have been affected due to Corona epidemic," Hans has said in the letter. In the 2020-21 budget, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Ministry of Culture has been allocated Rs 3,150 crore, which is Rs 108 crore more than the previous year's allocation, Hans said. "If the Ministry of Culture allocated this amount to grassroots artistes and craftsmen, it can help us save them and their families during this epidemic situation," he said. The North West Delhi Lok Sabha MP said that any financial assistance, if approved by the government, should be transferred to the individual accounts of the artistes and artisans.

"The relief fund will not only provide opportunities for millions of people to survive, but will also ensure the longevity and relevance of Indian traditions and culture." Hans further wrote that the current situation hinted that all artistes, folk singers, dancers, theater actors, instrumentalists, light and sound technicians will have no source of income for the next one year. "Transgender performers, street theater guilds, even young gymnasts and women performing dance and singing on stage are everyday struggling for two square meals," he said.

The artistes and handicraft workers are the backbone of the non-agricultural rural Indian economy, he said, adding the number of such people is around 200 million. "Indian artistes and artisans are slowly dying out. According to the United Nations, in the last 30 years, the number of Indian artisans has decreased by up to 30 percent," said the BJP MP. The crafts sector in India is very unorganized and informal, with 42 percent of the artisans working outside their homes, he said, adding 50 percent of the heads of craft producing families have no education, 90 percent of the women in these families are completely illiterate. This handicraft business is a family activity, as 76 percent of them treat their profession as tradition and heritage, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)