Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology Madras Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) has helped establish a Common Facility Centre to help potters in a Tamilnadu village meet modern consumer demands such as Microwaveable Cooking Utensils.
These products have higher market value and will help sustain the traditional potters.Ā Many traditional pottersā families are economically poor and living Below Poverty Line.
To increase the earning of the artisans, modern machinery is introduced alongside additional skill and product training to improve not only the productivity but also the wages of the artisans.
IIT Madras is aiding in implementing the Common Facility Centre at Perumudivakkam in Tiruvallur district, located about 50 kilometres from Chennai.
With CSR funding support from Southern Region Pipelines Division of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL-SRPL), and Centre for Social Development (CSD), a Nagercoil-based non-governmental organisation as the implementation partner at Tiruvallur, IIT-Madras had collaborated with Central Glass and Ceramic Institute (CGCRI), Kolkata, to leverage technology to aid the potters.
Highlighting the role of IIT Madras in this initiative, Prof. Abhijit P. Deshpande, Professor-in-Charge, RuTAG-IIT Madras, said, “Technology development within an institute has to be followed up with a multi-stakeholder initiative. In this respect, RuTAG has coordinated with CGCRI, CSD, IOCL, government agencies and local artisans to bring forth the benefits in a shared setup. For follow-up technology activity, we always strive to identify needs of artisans in terms of technological solutions. Once identified, these needs can be conveyed to faculty/students to carry out further technology development.”
Further, elaborating on the benefits of the Common Facility Centre, Deshpande said, “The new facilitating technologies were ensured to increase the productivity of clay production and their quality. With a decentralised infrastructure through CFC, the ownership by the stakeholders increases and employment opportunities thrive around the centreās activities.”
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