9th National Handloom Day – August 7 2023

National Handloom Day is annually observed on the 7th of August across India to promote handloom and to recognise and honour the efforts and skills of the handloom weaving community engaged in the sector and the contribution it has made to India’s socioeconomic development.

• This day is also celebrated to commemorate the Swadeshi movement which was initiated in 1905.
• August 7, 2023, marks the 9th National Handloom Day.
• The theme of 9th National Handloom Day is “Handloom for Sustainable Fashion”.

Note: Annually, the events to commemorate the National Handloom Day are organised by the Ministry of Textiles (MoT).

Background:

i.In 2015, the Government of India (GoI) decided to designate the 7th of August every year, as the National Handloom Day.

ii.The first National Handloom Day was inaugurated on 7th August 2015, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centenary hall of Madras University in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Note: India Handloom Brand (IHB) was also launched on the same day for branding high-quality handloom products. IHB aims to provide a bridge between the weaver and the consumer.

Why August 7?

i.The date August 7 has been chosen because it was on this day that the Swadeshi Movement was launched in 1905.

ii.The formal proclamation of the Swadeshi Movement was made on August 7, 1905, in the  Calcutta (now Kolkata, West Bengal) Town Hall.

iii.The Swadeshi Movement was initiated to encourage the use of India-made goods which prominently involved handlooms. The movement involved the revival of domestic products and production processes.

iv.This movement also played a major role in the Independence of India during British Rule. To honour the significance of the Swadeshi Movement and the contribution of handloom weavers, GoI has declared August 7 as National Handloom Day every year.

Note:

• When Lord Curzon, then Viceroy of India, announced the partition of Bengal in July 1905, Indian National Congress (INC), initiated the Swadeshi movement in Bengal.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, and Lala Lajpat Rai were the key people in the Swadeshi movement.

Significance:

i.Handloom weaving plays a significant role in India’s cultural heritage and economy.  Handloom textiles are also sustainable and ethically made.

ii.It provides employment to millions of people, especially women over with a share of  70% of the total handloom workers.

iii.It has an eco-friendly production process with low capital and power requirements, as well as the ability to adapt to evolving fashion trends and consumer preferences.

iv.GoI has devised various schemes such as Integrated Handlooms Development Scheme (IHDS), Handloom Weavers Welfare Scheme, National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP), Raw Material Supply Scheme (RMSS) and etc for the growth of the sector.

v.The MoT has been annually conferring various awards like Sant Kabir Handloom Award and National Handloom Award for excellence in weaving, design development, and marketing efforts.

Development Commissioner for Handlooms:

i.Development Commissioner for Handlooms was set up as an attached non-participating office on 20th November 1975 under the Ministry of Commerce. Currently, it is functioning under the MoT.

ii.Office of Development Commissioner (Handlooms) (O/o DC(Handlooms)) also oversees the implementation of the Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985 through its Enforcement Wing, with regional offices at Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat).

• O/o DC(Handlooms) is headed by an officer of the Additional Secretary/Joint Secretary level and O/o DC(Handlooms) is under the MoT.

National Handloom Development Corporation Limited (NHDC):

i.It was set up in February 1983 by the GoI as a public sector undertaking (PSU) under the MoT to achieve the objectives of faster more inclusive and sustainable growth of the Handloom sector and so on.

ii.The Office of the NHDC is functioning under the Chairmanship of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) basically to provide input support through the procurement and distribution of yarn, dyes, chemicals, and marketing of handloom fabrics.

2023 Events of National Handloom Day:

i.The MoT to commemorate the 9th anniversary of National Handloom Day organised a program named “Share your Entrepreneurship Development Story” to encourage & motivate the Start-Ups and Entrepreneurs /agencies of the handloom sector.

• Willing Handloom entities were requested to share their story in textual format along with relevant photographs

ii.O/o DC(Handlooms) organised a selfie contest and a competition named “Create a Reel and Show Your Love For Handloom” on MyGov platform.

• Citizens were also encouraged to sign a National Pledge to Use Indian Handloom on the MyGov Platform.

iii.The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat organised a panel discussion with a set of panelists on “Handloom as an Indigenous Industry: Challenges and a way forward” on the occasion of National Handloom Day.

iv.NIFT also organised events like:

• Exhibition cum demonstration of Handloom techniques and textiles; Quiz competition on Handloom textiles of India; Static display/installation Competition by students’ teams on Handloom textiles of India; BestDressedHandloom– Selfie Competition.

Recent Related News:

On April 11, 2023, the MoT launched 2 Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for 31 items which marked the first technical regulation from India for the Technical Textiles industry.

About Ministry of Textiles (MoT):
Union Minister– Piyush Goyal (Rajya Sabha Maharashtra)
Minister of State (MoS)– Darshana Vikram Jardosh (Constituency- Surat, Gujarat)