Nearly 12 weavers and 13 artisans belonging to 11 states are participating in the ‘Special Handloom and Handicrafts Expo’ which was inaugurated by the Secretary Textiles, Ms. Rachna Shah here today.
Addressing media persons, the Secretary Textiles emphasisised that the Government of India is continuously working through its various schemes with handloom and handicraft artisans. Support is being provided to them for better marketing, acquiring raw material, enhanced designing techniques and others, she said.
On the occasion of 2nd Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, the exhibition is an initiative of the office of Development Commissioner for Handlooms and Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India through National Handloom Development Corporation (NHDC) Ltd. to provide direct access to the handloom weavers and artisans to market their products to consumers. The exhibition enables an interface between the weavers/artisans and consumers.
The week-long exhibition at Handloom Haat, Janpath will conclude on November 21, 2022. The exhibition will be open to public from 11 am to 8 pm on all seven days.
Handloom and Handicraft sector is a symbol of our country’s rich and varied cultural heritage. The handloom sector of India engages 31 lakh and handicraft sector of India engages more than 30 lakh persons which is next only to agricultural sector in the country.
The art of handloom and handicraft has traditional values attached to it and each region has exquisite varieties. The uniqueness of products such as Pashmina Shawl, Tussar Saree, Naga Shawl, Kotpad Saree, Madhubani Painting, Warley Painting, Art Metal Ware etc. to name a few attracts customers across the globe with exclusives art, weaves, designs and traditional motifs.
Government of India has launched various schemes for Handloom and Handicrafts sector for branding of high-quality products with zero defects and zero effect on the environment to encourage and to give a distinct identity to the products, apart from highlighting the uniqueness of the products. It also serves a guarantee for the buyer that the product being purchased is genuinely handcrafted. All the exhibitors at the exhibition have been encouraged to display their products and thus aim to improve the earnings of the handloom and handicraft community.
Handloom and Handicraft products drawn from some of the exotic locations of India are on display and sale at the exhibition. A brief list is given below:-
| . Arunachal Pradesh | Gale (Traditional ladies garment), Galuk (Waistcoat) Traditional Shawl, Muffler |
| . Assam | Eri Silk, Muga, Cotton Dress Materials |
| · Bihar | Madhubani Painting |
| · Chhattisgarh | Art Metal Ware |
| . Jammu | Pashmina Shawl, Stole, Muffler |
| . Jharkhand | Tussar Saree, Tussar Ghicha Fabric, Dress Materials |
| · Madhya Pradesh | Hand Painting Item |
| . Manipur | Naga Shawl, Ladies Rapper, Naga textile fabrics |
| · Maharashtra | Warli Painting |
| · Odisha | Kotpad Saree, Dress Material, Jewellery |
| . Rajasthan | Anwa Saree, Block Print, Embroidered and Croch |
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