National Handloom Day is being observed today to give an impetus to the sector and encourage use of hand made loom in the country. The main event will be held in Guwahati to celebrate the third National Handloom Day.
Union Minister of state for Textile Ajay Tamta, Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal and other senior ministers of the state will take part in the event. The 7th August has been chosen due to its special significance in India’s history.
It was on this day that the Swadeshi Movement was launched in 1905. The movement involved revival of domestic products and production processes. Central Government has declared 7th of August as National Handloom Day to be celebrated every year.
As per information received, over 1 thousand weavers from North East will participate in the celebration of the National Handloom day in Guwahati . A documentary on handloom will be screened on this occasion .
Weavers of Assam who are known for producing Pat and Muga silk is expected to get a boost by participating through this event. The Assam government has already announced an ambitious Muga Mission to increase production with a cost of 100 crore rupees.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the first National Handloom Day on 7th August, 2015, at a national level function in Chennai.
According to government data, the sector contributes to nearly 15 percent of the cloth production in the country and also contributes to the country’s export earnings. It said, 95 percent of the world’s hand woven fabric comes from India.
According to reports, weavers of Assam who are known for producing Pat and Muga silk is expected to get a boost by participating through this event. The Assam government has announced an ambitious Muga Mission to increase its production with a cost of 100 crore rupees.
Meanwhile Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani has said that weavers in the northeast would be given several services through Weavers Service Centres.
Addressing weavers in Guwahat yesterday, Irani said these Services Centres will serve as one-stop centres for various services like banking, passport, insurance, PAN card, Voter ID and Adhaar.
The Minister said, these Centres would also provide technical assistance to weavers. She said, the Textile Ministry has signed memorandum of understanding with Indira Gandhi National Open University, IGNOU, and National Institute of Open Schooling, NIOS, to provide education to children of weavers. Irani said 75 per cent of the fees for school and university education in these institutions would be borne by the government.
