New Delhi, Nov 04: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will inaugurate the first global handmade carpets conference beginning today. The two-day conference will address issues like working environment of hand-made carpet industry, social accountability, building resistance to a takeover by technologically driven modern industries and problems faced by buyers world over.

The conference, which will have representatives from 25 countries including Pakistan, will also witness the launch of a common platform, the world forum, with individual chapters in all member countries. Commenting on the need for a global initiative, carpet export promotion council chairman Vijay Thakur said, "Worldwide the hand-made carpet industry is facing many challenges. There is an urgent need to come together to develop a global strategy that will put the industry back on an aggressive growth path."

The conference will discuss the means of spurring growth of world's handmade carpet industry from 3.0 per cent to over 10 per cent, a CEPC statement said here.

Bureau Report