Land Provided by Nepal Govt for Handicraft Design Centre

The Government of Nepal has provided 2 ropanis (1 ropani = approx. 508.72 sq m) of land for setting up a Handicraft Design and Development Centre (HANDECEN) to the Federation of Handicraft Associations of Nepal (FHAN).
 
The decision to provide the land to FHAN was taken at a recent Cabinet meeting, according to The Himalayan Times report.
 
The land for construction of HANDECEN has been provided on the premises of the Department of Cottage and Small Scale Industries, in Tipureshwor, Kathmandu.
 
FHAN is planning to construct a SAARC handicraft emporium and handicraft laboratory, inside the new HANDECEN building, for which it would receive a Np Rs. 240 million assistance from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
 
HANDECEN is an autonomous body, established by FHAN, in association with the Government to create innovate and quality products for developing the Nepali handicrafts industry.
 
Last month, FHAN sought financial assistance of Rs. 7.5 million from the Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC) to analyse the market potential of the new markets and to hold handicraft fairs in those markets.
 
Nepal’s handicraft exports grew by 24.2 percent year-on-year to Rs. 391.24 million during the first ten months of the current fiscal year that began on July 15, 2012, according to the data from the TEPC.