Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun have joined hands to set up a dedicated facility for pashmina test/certification and provide authentic and accredited certification services to the pashmina exporters in a time-bound manner to enable the members of EPCH to meet the compliances in domestic and international market. This self-sustaining and revenue-generating facility in a Government organisation will support associated exporters and traders on a payment basis. Besides facilitating engagement of substantial technical manpower, the facility will create employment opportunities for emerging technologists and researchers on the PPP model.
WII is an autonomous institute of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
The MoU was signed by Dr. S.P. Yadav, Director-WII and R.K. Verma, ED, EPCH in the presence of Bivash Ranjan, ADG (WL), MoEFCC; Dr. Ruchi Badola, Scientist-G, Dean & Registrar, WII; Dr. S.K. Gupta, Scientist-F & Nodal Officer, Wildlife Forensic and Conservation Genetics (WFCG) Cell, WII; C P Sharma, Senior Technical Officer, WFCG Cell, WII; and Rajesh Rawat, Addl. ED, EPCH.
Rakesh Kumar, DG, EPCH informed that through this MoU, WII will share its technical know-how and assistance in running the EPCH’s Test Lab at Dehradun, as it is also one of the gazetted scientific experts nominated by the Government of India and will enable EPCH to provide accredited testing and certification services to the pashmina exporters within reasonable timeframe to meet their buyer requirements in overseas and international markets.
