‘Kesh Kala Board’ approved, to aid capital’s barber community

NEWDELHI: Ahead of the assembly elections, the Delhi government on Saturday approved setting up of a ‘Delhi Kesh Kala Board’ to revive and promote the traditional art of hair grooming, by implementing welfare measures for barbers and providing them with advanced training and financial assistance.

Social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam announced the Delhi cabinet’s decision on Twitter. “Congrats Delhi! Now Delhi will have a kesh kala board. Through this historic decision of the Arvind Kejriwal government the barber community living n Delhi will get a forum to resolve their issues and strengthen their business,” he said.

In a statement, the government said significant disruptive technological solutions have fuelled the growth of the hair care industry.

“Unofficial estimates peg the worth of India’s hair care industry at ₹22,500 crore, it said. While the haircutting profession has traditionally been adopted by the barber community, considered a backward class, they have not been able to adopt these new capital-intensive technologies and therefore, remain largely unaffected by the spurt in the growth of this industry,” the government said.

Gautam said the board will have five members.

The member-secretary of the board will be appointed by the Delhi government from among serving/retired officers not below the rank of deputy secretary.

Additionally, each district will also have a district-level committee comprising a chairperson and three members.