SRINAGAR DEC 05: Situated around 20 kilometres from Srinagar, Ukhoo village rests along the banks of the Jhelum River in Pulwama district, South Kashmir. Widely recognized as the ‘Pencil Wala Gaon’ or ‘Pencil Village of India’, the pencils manufactured here are exported to over 80 countries.
There are 19 pencil slate manufacturing factories in Kashmir of which 17 are located in Pulwama district and the majority at Ukhoo village. The wooden slats are supplied to the biggest pencil manufacturers in India like Apsara, Nataraj, and Hindustan pencils for the final shape and are then exported to over 80 countries.
The village gained prominence two years before when Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat said the Pulwama was an example of how to reduce the country’s dependency on imports. “Once upon a time we used to import wood for pencils from abroad but now our Pulwama in Kashmir is making the country self-sufficient in the field of pencil making,” Modi said.
“Pencils manufactured in Kashmir are exported to over 80 countries. The demand is increasing with each passing day,” he said.
These industries in Pulwama would employ around 4000 labourers including locals and others from West Bengal, Assam and Bihar and have annual turnover of over Rs 180 crore.
In a report, the Ministry of Home Affairs said Ukhoo village is meeting India’s 90 per cent pencil requirement.
“Ukhoo village of Pulwama is now proceeding apace to become a manufacturing hub. 90 % of the country’s pencil slate is manufactured here and reaches different parts of the country. On the initiative of the central government, Ukhoo village of Pulwama is being given the tag of Pencil Wala Gaon,” the report said.
