In a major step towards building a technology-driven, future-ready handloom ecosystem, the Union Minister of Textiles Shri Giriraj Singh will inaugurate the Centre of Excellence for Handloom Technology (CoE-HT) at IIT Delhi on 3 August 2026. Union Minister of State for Textiles Shri Pabitra Margherita, Secretary Textiles, Smt. Neelam Shami Rao, Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Dr. M. Beena will also grace the inauguration ceremony along with senior officials from Ministry of Textiles and IIT Delhi.

The Centre of Excellence established with a Government of India investment of ₹11.99 crore, aims to integrate India's rich handloom heritage with cutting-edge research, innovation and digital technologies to strengthen the sector's competitiveness, sustainability and global outreach. This centre will serve as a national knowledge and innovation hub, bringing together academia, industry, designers, technologists, startups and handloom institutions to develop advanced solutions for the handloom sector. Its focus areas include loom modernization and ergonomics, artificial intelligence, sustainability, functional innovation, digital knowledge systems and entrepreneurship.

Over the next five years, the Centre will develop a national digital repository of handloom knowledge, create AI-enabled tools, develop improved loom technologies, facilitate patents and research, incubate startups, and train weavers, faculty members and handloom professionals across the country.

The launch of the Centre of Excellence for Handloom Technology marks a significant milestone in the Government's efforts to modernize the handloom sector while preserving India's rich weaving traditions. By fostering research, innovation and entrepreneurship, the Centre is expected to create a robust ecosystem that empowers weavers, enhances productivity, promotes sustainable practices and positions Indian handloom for emerging domestic and global opportunities.

India's handloom sector supports more than 35 lakh weavers and allied workers, with women constituting nearly 70 per cent of the workforce. While preserving centuries-old weaving traditions, the sector also faces challenges relating to productivity, technology adoption, traceability, authenticity, sustainability and market competitiveness. The Centre has been conceived to address these challenges through research, innovation, capacity building and technology transfer.

The inaugural programme will also witness the launch of five flagship initiatives that showcase the Centre's vision of combining tradition with technology:

• Handloom 4.0 – a digital companion for every loom, enabling weavers to assess productivity & sustainability, helping cooperatives and government agencies to deliver timely last-mile assistance.

• Handloom e-Vidya, a problem‑linked digital learning and knowledge hub that provides practical, curated solutions for weavers, students and other key stakeholders in the handloom ecosystem.

• HandloomX, an accelerator and incubation platform to nurture startups and innovations across the handloom value chain.

• Kalagriha Handloom Studio (GenZ Design Studio), aimed at connecting handloom with next-generation consumers through digital visualization, customization and product authentication.
• Threads of Valour, an initiative promoting circularity by transforming recycled defence textiles into premium handloom products.

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MAM/VN