What
is AIACA?
What is the Craftmark?
Why is the Craftmark needed?
How can an organization use the Craftmark?
How will standards for certification for each craft-type be created?
How can an organization apply for the Craftmark?
What are the fees for the Craftmark?
What
is AIACA?
The All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association (AIACA) is
a membership-based apex body for the handloom and handicraft sectors.
Similar to an industry association such as the Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII), AIACA seeks to represent a range of organizations in the
handloom
and handicrafts sectors and to engage in policy advocacy activities aimed
at increasing the domestic market for handloom and handicraft products
and
improving the standard of living of craftworkers.
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What
is the Craftmark?
The Craftmark initiative is an effort by AIACA to help denote genuine
Indian handicrafts, develop a pan-Indian brand for such Indian handicrafts,
and increase consumer awareness of distinct handicraft traditions.
Under this initiative, AIACA will license the “Craftmark” logo
for use by Craft-based businesses, cooperatives and NGOs for use
on product tickets and labels.
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Why
is the Craftmark needed?
The domestic market for handlooms and handicrafts is poised at
a critical phase of its development. Economic liberalization
has helped to open up immense opportunities for domestic market
growth in handcrafted products. However, liberalization has also
opened up immense challenges, both from foreign competition due
to the lowering of trade barriers and domestic competition from
industrial products. Adopting a Craftmark will raise consumer
awareness and create a distinct market identity for Indian handicrafts.
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How
can an organization use the Craftmark?
An organization has to meet the certification standards for the craft-types
for which it wants to use the Craftmark and sign a licensing agreement
with AIACA before using the Craftmark on their product labels, tickets
and in promotional advertisements. The licensing agreement will be
valid for a period of two years.
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How
will standards for certification for each craft-type be created?
AIACA will institute certification standards for various categories of Indian
handicrafts with the help of experts in various craft-types and consultations
with craft producers from across the country. The certification standards will
be reviewed and approved by an independent committee consisting of representatives
from the crafts sector. Every effort will be made to develop the standards
through an independent and non-partisan process and the standards so developed
will be freely available to the public.
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How
can an organization apply for the Craftmark?
An organization can apply for the Craftmark by filling up the Craftmark
Application Forms and paying the appropriate fee. The application
is divided into two parts. One part is a form that lists information
about the organization applying. The second part is a form for each
craft-type for which the Craftmark will be used for along with a
sample. Applications for the craft-type must be accompanied by a
sample of each craft-type, a certificate of origin signed by the
Managing Director or other senior executive listing the point of
manufacture of the craft, and a list of final products [eg. Dhurries,
Shirts, etc.] on which the Craftmark will be used.
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What
are the fees for the Craftmark?
AIACA charges an application fee for the Craftmark to cover the expenses of
the certification process. The application fee consists of two parts a fee
for the organization that is applying for the Craftmark and a fee for each
craft-type for which certification is sought. The fee for the organization
is on a sliding scale based on the total turnover of the applicant organization
and it ranges from Rs.50,000 to Rs.5,000. If the organization is found to be
ineligible for the Craftmark, this fee is completely refundable after deducting
a processing fee of Rs.1,000 to cover the expenses of processing the application.
There is also a fee of Rs1,000 for each craft-type for which certification
is sought. This fee is non-refundable.
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