New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) The Narendra Modi government has protected the country's legacy of art and craftsmanship while providing new energy, market and opportunities to indigenous products through initiatives such as the Hunar Haat, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Wednesday.

More than 700 artisans and craftspersons from more than 30 states and Union Territories will participate in the 'Hunar Haat' being organised here from December 23, 2021, to January 5, 2022, according to an official statement.

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This edition of 'Hunar Haat' will be inaugurated by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Bhupender Yadav and Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi at 10:30 am on Thursday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Former Union Minister and MP Dr Harsh Vardhan, MPs Shri Hans Raj Hans, Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Ramesh Bidhuri and Parvesh Sahib Singh will be chief guests on the occasion.

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Interacting with reporters ahead of the inauguration, Naqvi said 'Hunar Haat' has proved to be a "powerful and perfect" platform of "3Vs -- Vishwakarma Virasat Ka Vikas (legacy of indigenous craftsmanship)".

The Modi government has protected the country's legacy of art and craftsmanship while providing new energy, market and opportunities to indigenous products, the Minorities Affairs Minister said.

Over 7,50,000 artisans, craftspersons and people associated with them have been provided employment and self-employment opportunities through 'Hunar Haat' in the last about six years, Naqvi said.

More than 40 per cent of them are women artisans, he added.

Exquisite and elegant indigenous handmade products from more than 30 states and UTs, including Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Goa would be available at the 35th edition of 'Hunar Haat' here.

Traditional dishes from different regions of the country would also be available at the 'Hunar Haat'.

Various cultural and musical programmes by renowned artists such as Pankaj Udhaas, Altaf Raja, Daler Mehndi, Suresh Wadekar, Sudesh Bhonsle, Kavita Krishnamurti, Amit Kumar, among others, as well as a live performance of 'Mahabharat' by renowned actors Puneet Issar, Gufi Paintal and others will be staged at the 'Hunar Haat'.

Traditional circus would also be a major attraction of the 'Hunar Haat' here, the statement said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)