A new ‘India Handloom’ brand will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week in Chennai to help the handloom sector position its items better in the domestic and international markets.
The Government has decided to declare August 7 — the day of launch of the handloom brand — as National Handloom Day, Minister of State for Textiles Santosh Gangwar said at a press conference on Friday.
“Observation of National Handloom Day would generate awareness about the importance of handloom industry as a part of our rich heritage and culture, promote handloom products and lead to increase in income of weavers as well as enhance their confidence and pride,” Gangwar said.
The handloom weavers who want to adopt the new brand will have to give an application to the Textile Commissioner following which officials will hold field visits. Once officials are satisfied with the quality of products being produced by weavers, they would be allowed to use the brand.
“The ‘India Handloom’ brand will give quality assurance to buyers and they can buy with confidence. Products of registered weavers will also be available online,” the Minister said.
He added that the Textile Ministry’s tie-up with e-retail company Flipkart to market handloom items had not been very successful as customers were hesitant in paying for high value items without quality assurance. “Since our brand will assure high quality, consumers can buy high-end products with confidence,” he said.
All States also have been asked to arrange celebration of National Handloom Day, Gangwar added.
Over 43 lakh persons are engaged in handloom weaving and allied activities in India, according to government figures.