Question: With which company Microsoft India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to empower handloom weavers?
(a) Tata trusts
(b) Infosys technologies
(c) MMTC
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a)
Related facts:
- Tata Trusts and Microsoft India on 10th April, 2019 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly rejuvenate handloom clusters in the eastern and north-eastern parts of the country.
- As a part of the collaboration, Tata trusts and Microsoft will leverage each other’s strengths to provide business and communication skills, design education and digital literacy to handloom weavers so that they may build a sustainable future.
Project Reweave:
- Microsoft’s Project Reweave will help preserve traditional weaving forms by up skilling workers, designing and marketing merchandise, and creating sustainable livelihood options.
- The project has implemented a new e-commerce platform by setting up digital empowerment centers and design curriculum in Telangana’s weaving clusters of Rajouli, Chottuppal, Pochampalyy, Narayanpet and Gadwal, and will shortly extend it to Warangal and Siddipet.
Project Sangam:
- Microsoft will also enable digital training through Project Sangam, a Microsoft Azure-based learning Management System, which provides necessary training and tools to weaving communities to help them relies their full potential.
Antaran initiative :
- Tata Trusts initiative, Antaran, aims at rejuvenating ailing handloom clusters through an end-to-end programme, which would nurture artisans as designers and entrepreneurs.
- The trusts have initiated intensive work in Odisha, Assam and Nagaland.
- The Programme will benefit 3,000 artisans directly involved in pre-loom, on-loom and post loom processes, impacting the livelihood of weavers in six weaving clusters in these three states.
Craft Sector
- Employing over seven million families in India, the craft sector is the country’s largest source of employment after agriculture. The sector also has great economic importance in terms of foreign exchange earnings.
Links:
https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/tata-trusts-microsoft-join-hands-to-support-handloom-weaving-community-119041000859_1.html
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/pact-inked-to-empower-handloom-weavers/article26811354.ece
https://www.tatatrusts.org/section/inside/craft-based-livelihoods-programme
https://news.microsoft.com/en-in/tata-trusts-microsoft-indian-handloom-weaving-community-project-sangam-reweave/