New Delhi, 30 July (H.S.): With the aim of further strengthening India’s handloom sector through digital technologies, the ‘Centre of Excellence for Handloom Technology’ will be inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi on August 3. Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh will inaugurate the centre.

According to the Ministry of Textiles, established with an investment of Rs 11.99 crore by the Central Government, the centre will function as a national knowledge and innovation hub. Its primary objective is to integrate India’s traditional handloom heritage with modern research, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital technologies.

The centre will bring together academicians, industry experts, designers, technologists, and startups on a common platform. Over the next five years, it will develop a national digital repository of handloom knowledge, create AI-enabled tools and advanced loom technologies, promote patents, research, and startups, and provide modern training to weavers and professionals across the country.

During the inauguration ceremony, five major initiatives aimed at modernising the handloom sector will also be launched.

The first initiative, ‘Handloom 4.0: A Digital Companion for Every Loom’, will help weavers measure productivity and sustainability.

The second initiative, ‘Handloom e-Vidya’, will serve as a problem-based digital learning and knowledge platform for weavers and students.

The third initiative, ‘HandloomX’, will be an accelerator platform designed to promote new startups and innovations in the handloom sector.

The fourth initiative, ‘Kalagrih Handloom Studio’, will connect the younger generation with handloom traditions through digital visualisation and customisation.

The fifth initiative, ‘Threads of Valor’, will transform recycled defence textiles into premium handloom products.

India’s handloom sector currently provides employment to more than 35 lakh weavers and workers, nearly 70 per cent of whom are women. Facing challenges related to productivity, market competitiveness, and technology adoption, the establishment of this new centre at IIT Delhi is expected to become a milestone in the sector’s transformation.

The inauguration ceremony will be attended by Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita, Textiles Secretary Neelam Shammi Rao, Development Commissioner (Handlooms) Dr. M. Beena, along with several senior officials from the Ministry of Textiles and IIT Delhi.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar