The government noted 1,998 new registrations under 184 product categories within the ‘India Handloom’ brand in August 2015, a press release said.
The registration of new products under an indigenous brand is a part of the government’s effort to promote exports, the press release said. The government’s collated plan for textiles involves empowering the handloom industry by decreasing the costs of production, providing credit, as well as social welfare benefits for the people in the industry, as per the press release.
Financial aid
As a part of this plan, the government’s National Handloom Development Programme has provided financial assistance to eligible handloom workers or organisations for upgraded looms & accessories, solar lighting units, construction of workshed, product & design development, technical and common infrastructure, and marketing of handloom products in India as well as the world, the press release said.
At the same time, the ministry has provided a concessional credit scheme – MUDRA Loans – to handloom organisations or workers, for loans over a three-year period. The textile ministry has also provided subsidised raw material to producers, the press release said. “Under the Raw Material Supply Scheme, the Ministry provides transport subsidy, for transportation of yarn to the doorstep of the beneficiary, and 15% Price Subsidy on Cotton Hank Yarn, Domestic Silk, Woollen and Linen yarn and blended yarn of natural fibres,” the press release said.
The government has also provided social welfare benefits like health and life insurance products, as well as scholarships for higher education of handloom workers’ wards. Additionally, the government has positioned itself to be a key buyer of handlooms by onboarding producers on e-marketplaces “to enable them to sell their products directly to various Government Departments and organizations,” the press release said.
The government also mandated its offices to procure a fifth of all textile procurements from local handloom clusters, co-operative societies, or self-help groups. States and UTs were requested to direct their State Handloom Corporations/Co-operatives/Agencies to purchase the finished inventory available with the handloom weavers, the press release said.
Falling exports
The government’s announcement of new indigenous handloom products to promote exports came against the backdrop of falling textile exports. India’s textile exports fell marginally from FY23 to FY24 at USD 34.4 billion (approximately ₹2.8 trillion), as per the government’s Niryat portal for trade data. In FY25, India has exported textiles worth over USD 8 billion till June 2024, the portal showed.
