Government is
committed to raise the market positioning of handloom products: Textiles Secretary
The
integrated website of ‘India Handloom’ Brand www.indiahandloombrand.gov.in
was launched today by Mrs. Rashmi Verma, Secretary to Government of India, Ministry
of Textiles.
The
website is a one stop platform for all services to consumers, bulk buyers and
handloom producers. The website will
provide full details of all registered India Handloom producers which will
facilitate verification of genuine India Handloom product by customers. They will able to verify the genuineness of
the Brand logo through the registration no. which is printed on every label on
the product. The website will also
provide information about the retail stores and e-commerce platform from where
India Handloom branded products can be purchased. It will also contain brief description of
every product category and tips to identify genuine products. Contact details of India Handloom Brand
producers are available for bulk buyers like retail stores, garment
manufacturers who will able to directly access the handloom producers
registered under the Brand. The web site
has also a section where handloom producers can apply online for registration
under the Brand and can also track status of their application.
While
launching the website, Secretary(Textiles) said that the Government is
committed to raise the market positioning of handloom products for development
of handloom industry and for increasing wages of handloom weavers. She said that website will be an important
platform for achieving these objectives and would be user- friendly both for
consumers as well as handloom producing agencies.
‘India Handloom’ Brand was launched by
Hon’ble Prime Minister on 7th August, 2015, the first National
Handloom Day, to endorse the quality of handloom products in terms of raw
material, processing, embellishment, weaving, design and other parameters
besides social and environment compliance.
The main objective is to promote the production of quality products with
new designs for winning the trust and confidence of customers by giving
particular attention to defect free, hand woven, authentic niche products with
zero defect and zero impact on environment.
The registration under the brand is given
after stringent testing of samples in Govt. of India laboratory. By 10th
February, 2016, 121 handloom producing agencies/enterprises have been given
registration under the Brand in 33 product categories.Several e-commerce platforms
and leading retail stores have been engaged for marketing of India Handloom
branded products.
More
than 43 lakh persons are engaged in this sector with annual production of 720
crore sq.mtrs which is 14% of the total textile sector. It provides livelihood to large number of
rural women and backward sections of the society. Development Commissioner for Handlooms,
Ministry of Textiles is responsible for development of sector in partnership
with state governments. It is supported
by 28 Weavers’ Service Centres and 10 Indian Institutes of Handloom
Technology. National Handloom
Development Corporation is responsible for supply of quality yarn, dyes and
chemicals.
In
order to address the main challenges of competition from powerloom sector,
concerns of consumers about quality, and stagnant wages for weavers, new
strategy aims at increasing production of high value good quality
products leading to consumers satisfaction and remunerative earnings to the
weavers. Block Level Cluster Approach to support quality production and ‘India
Handloom’ Brand for market positioning are two key elements of new
strategy.
Documented
success stories have established that number of handlooms alongwith new jobs
have increased wherever market linked
design intervention has been taken up for supporting weaving of quality
handloom products. Such efforts are
being further strengthened by launch of ‘India Handloom’ Brand.
Shri
J. K. Dadoo, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor; Shri Alok Kumar,
Development Commissioner for Handlooms and other senior officers of Ministry of
Textiles were present on the occasion.
DJM