Steps underway to revive handlooms

Textiles Ministry today said steps are underway to revive handlooms and a panel also deliberated on the issue including aggressive marketing, design innovations and popularising handlooms amongst youth to increase the income of weavers.
"A discussion on revival of handloom, with particular focus on increasing earning of handloom weavers, was held," Textiles Ministry said.
The panel discussed the need to excite the younger generation about handlooms, the diversity of marketing opportunities available to promote handlooms, the need for innovations in design and weaving processes and the need for customer education.
It comprised stakeholders from government, industry and civil society
The meeting of the panel comprising stakeholders from government, industry and civil society was organized on May 17 by the office of Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles.

"Youth, fashion and technology hold the key to the future of handloom," Textiles Secretary S K Panda stated at the meet.
Panda asserted that concern for the handloom weavers should guide all interventions of state and non-state actors. He outlined the context in which the handloom weavers operate, and the various policy interventions that Government has been making in order to improve the earning of handloom weavers.
The panel consisted of former Member Secretary of the Planning Commission Sudha Pillai IAS (Retd.); leading fashion designer Ritu Kumar, Panda, among others.