Kolkata, 07 August (H.S.) : The 12th National Handloom Day was celebrated in West Bengal on Friday with a state-level function at Shilpa Sadan Auditorium in Kolkata, highlighting India's rich handloom heritage and the government's initiatives for the welfare and empowerment of weavers.

The event was organised by the Weavers' Service Centre, Kolkata, under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, in association with the Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Textiles, Government of West Bengal.

Minister of State for MSME and Textiles Ashoke Dinda attended the programme as the chief guest, while Additional Chief Secretary Anoop Kumar Agrawal, IAS, was the guest of honour. National Award-winning weavers, senior officials from the Central and State governments, handloom artisans, designers, entrepreneurs and representatives from major handloom clusters across West Bengal also participated in the celebration.

Observed annually on August 7, National Handloom Day commemorates the launch of the historic Swadeshi Movement at Kolkata's Town Hall in 1905. Instituted by the Government of India in 2015, the observance recognises the contribution of India's handloom weavers and promotes the country's traditional weaving heritage.

Addressing the gathering, speakers emphasised the need to preserve traditional weaving practices while encouraging innovation, product quality enhancement and improved market access to strengthen the handloom sector.

As part of the Handloom Week celebrations, the Weavers' Service Centre, Kolkata, organised awareness and design programmes at the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata, along with outreach activities in major handloom clusters at Fulia (Nadia), Basudebpur (Medinipur), Tufanganj (Cooch Behar), Samudragarh (Purba Bardhaman) and Begampur (Hooghly).

The programme also showcased several flagship schemes of the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms under the Ministry of Textiles, including the Small Cluster Development Programme, Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata (HSS), SAMARTH Skill Upgradation Programme, Handloom Marketing Assistance, India Handloom Mark, India Handloom Brand, Weaver MUDRA Scheme, construction of individual and common worksheds, scholarship schemes for children of handloom weavers, and social security initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana.

Officials reiterated the Ministry of Textiles' commitment to strengthening the handloom ecosystem through skill development, infrastructure support, quality improvement and welfare measures aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of handloom weavers and artisans across the country.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh