India should double handloom production to ₹125K cr in 3 years: Goyal

Addressing an event on the occasion of the 7^th National Handloom Day on Saturday, Goyal said that the nation is committed to ensuring sustainable development of the handloom sector thereby empowering handloom weavers and workers financially and instilling pride in their exquisite craftsmanship.

The minister announced that a committee will be constituted consisting of all weavers, trainers, equipment makers, marketing experts and other stakeholders to recommend ways and means to achieve the objective and improve all round progress of handloom sector.

Congratulating National Handloom Development Corporation (NHDC) for setting up three Handloom Craft Villages at Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala; Mohpara Village, District Golaghat, Assam; and Kanihama, Budgam, Srinagar in collaboration with the respective state governments, the minister stated that it will not only provide additional attraction for the domestic and international tourists but also promote the well-known handloom and handicraft products of the region leading to rise in weavers income. He also advised NHDC to rejuvenate this sector with new ideas thoughts and latest technological advancements as per the changing requirements.

Goyal and union state minister of textiles Darshana Jardosh jointly inaugurated Design Resource Centre at Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu and building of Weavers’ Service Centre at Raigarh, Chhatisgarh on the occasion. Virtual Buyer Seller Meet was also organised by NHDC.

Speaking on the occasion, Jardosh said that it is a sector that directly addresses women’s empowerment with over 70 per cent of all weavers and allied workers being female. She further said that it is the responsibility of all of us to promote local artisans under the local for vocal initiative.

In his address, U P Singh, secretary ministry of textiles, said that an e-commerce portal is being developed in coordination with Digital India Corporation (under MEITY) for handloom weavers and handicraft artisans. This will enable weavers and artisans to sell directly to consumers.

Singh further said that in order to support the handloom sector and to enable a wider market, steps have been taken to on-board weavers onto the Government e-Market place (GeM). This step would enable weavers to sell their products directly to various government departments and organisations. So far, about 1.50 lakh weavers have been on-boarded on the GeM portal.

National level My Handloom My Pride Expo is underway at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi until August 15, 2021, organised by NHDC to celebrate the 7^th National Handloom Day.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)