National Handloom Week-2023

• 05 Aug 2023

Why in News?

On August 3, 2023, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the National Handloom Week-2023 being organized through video conference with an aim to promote and encourage weavers, handloom & khadi sector products in the state.

Key Points:

• Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the handloom products of the state reflect the culture, heritage and history of the state. Handloom and Khadi also played an important role in the freedom struggle. This is the first time such an event is being organized in the state to give world-class recognition to these products and to give them a better platform.
• It is known that National Handloom Week-2023 is being organized from August 3 to 7 at Jawahar Kala Kendra.
• The Chief Minister said that the state government is working with commitment to increase the income and upliftment of handloom artisans. In this sequence, it was provided in the MSME Policy-2022 that such an event will be organized every year.
• This will attract buyers at the national and international levels towards the state's handloom products. Also, handloom weavers of the state and various Khadi products will be encouraged.
• He said that here handicrafts and artisans from different states of the country will be able to display and sell their artworks. This event will prove to be a better opportunity in terms of marketing.
• The Chief Minister said that Rajasthan's first Handicrafts Policy-2022 has been released for the upliftment of the products of handicrafts and the handloom sector and the artisans associated with them. This policy will create about 50 thousand new employment opportunities in the handloom sector in the state.
• Industries and Commerce Minister Shakuntala Rawat said about 85 percent of the weavers' population belongs to scheduled castes and minority communities. For their upliftment, many schemes and programs are being run through the Government's Department of Industry & Commerce, Rajasthan Handloom Development Corporation, Weavers Association, Khadi Board, RUDA etc.
• Vishwakarma Kamgar Kalyan Yojana-2023 has been implemented by the state government. Under this, financial assistance is being provided to 1 lakh youth of women, workers, handicrafts, hairstyles, pottery and nomadic class to start their own employment.
• Additional Chief Secretary (Industries) Veenu Gupta said that direct purchasing companies, buying agents, retailers associations, and national & international level marketing companies have been invited to the National Handloom Week-2023 to arrange sustainable marketing for handloom and Khadi products in the state.
• During this five-day event, 80 stalls have been set up to showcase handloom and khadi products, out of which 70 stalls will sell and display khadi and handloom products of the state and 10 stalls will sell and display excellent products of other state weavers.
• The event will also see the presence of 10 National Weaver Awardees who will showcase and sell their extraordinary creations.
• During the National Handloom Week, buyer-seller meets, exhibitions, theme pavilions, talk shows, quiz competitions, workshops and seminars as well as 'fashion shows' will be organized at the Rajasthan International Centre.