PM Modi to launch first National Handloom Day on August 7 at Chennai

It was on this day in 1905 that the Swadeshi Movement was launched at Kolkata

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the first National Handloom Day on August 7, 2015, at a national level function in Chennai. It was also on 7 August 1905 that the formal proclamation of the Swadeshi Movement was made at a massive meeting in the Calcutta Town hall.

The movement involved the revival of domestic products and production processes. The government has since declared August 7 as National Handloom Day every year, in memory of this.

The Prime Minister will confer the Sant Kabir awards and National awards for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 to handloom personalities.

The observance of National Handloom Day and honouring of handloom weavers will not only provide an impetus to India's handloom industry but would also serve to promote handloom as a genuine international product of good quality, according to an official release.

Modi will also launch 'India Handloom' brand. An exhibition showcasing master creations of the awardees is also being inaugurated on the occasion in the adjacent senate building of Madras University.

Handloom weaving is one of the largest economic activities in India after agriculture, providing direct and indirect employment to more than 43 lakh weavers and allied workers. The sector is responsible for nearly 15% of cloth production in the country and also contributes to export earnings. Around 95% of the world's hand woven fabric comes from India.