BHUBANESWAR: The Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts department on Friday added tribal paintings to the list of approved handicrafts in the State. The tribal paintings include paintings of Saora, Kolha, Lanjia Saora, Dongria Kondha, Gond, Juang, Oraon, Kutia Kondha and Santhal communities. The proposal to include the tribal paintings in the handicrafts sector by the Directorate of Handicrafts was approved by Minister Rita Sahu on the day.
Some of the important approved crafts are Pipli applique, Cuttack silver filigree, lac, dokra, paddy craft, terracotta, stone carving and palm leaf engraving. At present, there are 108 craft clusters in the state where 51 crafts are practised by nearly 1.51 lakh artisans in varying degrees and dispersed across the state. The highest number of artisans from Odisha have been honoured with national awards.