Kolkata, August 5, 2025

 

The celebration of the 11th National Handloom Day, 2025 began today at J D Birla Institute, Kolkata, with Joint Director of Textiles (Handloom), Department of MSME & Textiles, Government of West Bengal, Shri Ashish Narayan Banerjee, gracing the occasion as Chief Guest. Major General V.N. Chaturvedi attended as Special Guest, along with other dignitaries, industry experts, faculty members, and students.

In his address, Shri Banerjee highlighted the significant strides made by the handloom sector in West Bengal, noting that more than 10,000 work-sheds have been established with financial assistance to support the weavers. He emphasised the growing importance of silk-based handlooms, particularly Tussar silk and Mulberry silk, both of which have witnessed increasing production and demand. He stated that Malda district alone contributes 15% to Bengal's total silk output.

Shri Banerjee further underlined the importance of design development and product diversification, with Tantuja playing a leading role in these areas. Focus is also being placed on the development of Jamdani sarees, an iconic handloom tradition of Bengal. He noted that over 500 Primary Weavers’ Cooperative Societies are actively engaged in providing financial support to artisans. Initiatives for eco-friendly dyeing practices, along with capacity-building and training programs, are being extended across the sector. He also acknowledged collaborative efforts with NIFT Kolkata and Visva-Bharati University, which are contributing to innovation, design enhancement, and academic research in handloom development.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Chaturvedi reflected on the historical significance of the textile sector, stating that it contributed nearly 14% to India's GDP during the pre-Independence era. He underscored the urgent need to revive and modernise the handloom industry while retaining its traditional essence.

The other distinguished speakers remarked on several initiatives under implementation, including the mega handloom cluster programme, small cluster development programme, and summer training programmes aimed at enhancing skills in the handloom sector. In fact, West Bengal hosts seven active handloom clusters and is home to over 6 lakh weavers. Efforts in skill upgradation are being made through three targeted categories—weaving, design development and printing. Electronic advancement machines have been introduced to enable weavers to adopt modern techniques and trained artisans are being supported to leverage these technologies. Marketing assistance, raw material subsidies and support through various government schemes are also being extended.

In addition, beneficiaries are being covered under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana at no cost to the weavers. The government is also offering financial assistance to the children of weavers pursuing higher education in weaving technology, along with concessional credit support through the MUDRA scheme.

The event concluded with a reaffirmation of the collective commitment to preserving the legacy of India’s handloom heritage while advancing its sustainability and market relevance.

The handloom sector is also considered as a sector that directly addresses women’s empowerment with over 70% of all weavers and allied workers being female. Rooted in nature, it has eco-friendly production processes with minimal requirement of capital and power, and provides flexibility to innovate to meet changes in fashion trends and fast-changing customer preferences.

The Swadeshi Movement which was launched on August 7, 1905 had encouraged indigenous industries and in particular handloom weavers. In 2015, the Government of India decided to designate August 7, every year, as the National Handloom Day.

On this day, we honour our handloom-weaving community and highlight the contribution of this sector in the socio-economic development of our country.

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SSS/PK

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