Draft Findings (What We Heard)
A summary of themes, perspectives, concerns, opportunities, and priorities emerging from consultations conducted as part of the State of Kashmir Crafts assessment.
Purpose of Draft Findings
Draft Findings are strictly preliminary and are published before any final recommendations are formed.
The primary objective is verification. This phase exists to ensure that what stakeholders actually said during surveys, public hearings, and written submissions has been accurately captured, categorized, and represented.
This is a transparency mechanism. Stakeholders are heavily encouraged to review these drafts, submit corrections, and provide additional evidence before the Final Report is locked.
Consultation Snapshot
What We Heard: Core Themes
These are the primary themes that emerged organically from the text analysis of stakeholder submissions and public hearings.
Livelihoods
Significant concern over fair wages, healthcare access, and raw material inflation.
Markets & Sales
Challenges with intermediaries and access to direct consumer markets.
Exports
High shipping costs, compliance requirements, and international competition.
Tourism
Need for better integration of authentic crafts into the tourism circuit.
Women in Crafts
Barriers to financial independence and leadership within home-based setups.
Youth Participation
Declining interest due to perceived lack of economic viability and social prestige.
Training & Skills
Outdated training infrastructure and broken ustad-shagird transmission lines.
GI & Authenticity
Massive concern over machine-made fakes diluting the 'Kashmir' brand.
Digital Commerce
Lack of digital literacy and access to reliable e-commerce logistics.
Access to Finance
Difficulty securing credit without collateral for raw material procurement.
Heritage Preservation
Fear of losing traditional motifs and rare weaves to modern standardization.
Policy & Governance
Requests for streamlined welfare schemes and stronger enforcement of artisan laws.
Findings by Stakeholder Type
Artisans & Weavers
830 ResponsesKey Concerns
- Wages remain stagnant while inflation and living costs rise.
- Health issues (eyesight, posture) severely limit career longevity.
- Exploitation by middlemen who capture the majority of market margins.
Most Common Recommendations
- Implement direct-to-consumer digital marketplaces.
- Provide specialized artisan health insurance.
- Enforce strict origin labeling to differentiate from machine-made fakes.
Findings by Craft
Pashmina
1,250 Stakeholders | 320 Evidence Records
Findings by District
Srinagar
4,500 Stakeholders | 4 Public Hearings | Urban Center
Representative Voices
"We don't need charity, we need a fair market. When a tourist buys a machine-made shawl thinking it is handmade, it steals food from my children."
"Global compliance is changing. If we don't have documented sustainability and ethical labor standards, European markets will close to us."
Evidence Traceability
Every draft finding published above is strictly traced to verified records within the Evidence Repository. Nothing is assumed.
Finding: Wage Stagnation
Finding: Export Compliance Barriers
Areas of High Agreement
Machine-made fakes are the largest existential threat to the sector.
Youth are abandoning the craft due to poor wage structures.
GI certification processes need to be significantly more accessible.
Raw material costs (particularly Pashmina and Silk) have become prohibitive.
Artisan health and welfare schemes require urgent structural reform.
Areas of Divergence
Export Priorities
Exporters focus on volume and compliance, while Artisans focus on per-piece valuation.
GI Implementation
Debate over whether GI should restrict certain mechanized interventions (like spinning).
Government Support
Disagreement on whether subsidies or market-linkages are more effective long-term.
Digital Commerce
Urban youth see it as the future; older artisans view it as a threat to traditional retail.
Market Regulation
Tension between free-market pricing vs. government-mandated minimum wages.
Did We Get It Right?
Stakeholders are officially invited to review these Draft Findings and identify missing perspectives, correct errors, submit clarifications, or provide additional evidence.
Download Draft Reports
Draft Findings PDF
District Findings Summary
Craft Findings Summary
Stakeholder Summary
Evidence Reference Index
Transparency Notice
Draft Findings do not represent final conclusions or official recommendations of KHCRF. Findings remain entirely open for validation, clarification, and additional evidence until the Validation Phase officially closes.