PM lays foundation stone of Trade Facilitation Centre and Crafts Museum in Varanasi; inaugurates Powerloom Service Centre

PM: Textile workers weave not just cloth, but also the fabric of a cohesive, harmonious society. PM: The heritage of Banaras is known across India worldwide. It is time for Varanasi to tap this “assured market.” PM: Govt working towards modernizing textile sector. Revival package cleared for 16 district cooperative banks across eastern UP. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today made a strong pitch for re-establishing Varanasi on the global map through revitalization of its traditional textile industry. Speaking after laying the foundation stone of the Trade Facilitation Centre and Crafts Museum, and inaugurating the Powerloom Service Centre in this historic city, the Prime Minister said the Union Government is working towards revitalizing the textile sector through a scientific approach, coupled with infusion of appropriate technology. He said this Centre that was envisioned in Varanasi, was the beginning of a comprehensive vision for this sector. He said this Centre would encapsulate the heritage of Varanasi at one place. The Prime Minister said there is need to understand the changing demands and needs of the customer, and create new products which satisfy his need, to retain the customer. The Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to Varanasi. The Prime Minister said ladies in every family in India had heard of the term “Banarasi Saree.” Every mother wanted to gift a Banarasi saree to her daughter for her wedding. He asserted that this represents an assured market of crores of sarees for Varanasi. The requirement now is to meet this demand and satisfy the customer with modern design, products and service. Observing that after agriculture, textiles was the sector which generated maximum employment, the Prime Minister said that textile workers weave not just cloth; but through the harmonious nature of their workplace, they also weave the fabric of a cohesive, harmonious society. He said this “Ganga Jamuni tehzeeb” was Varanasi’s heritage, and indeed the heritage of India. The Prime Minister narrated an anecdote of how he had seen a “Banaras street” in Boston, USA. This was a street where “Gurus” lived, he said, adding that the whole world knows of the heritage of Banaras. He exhorted the people of the city to now use e-commerce and strategically tap the global market. He called upon people to work towards creating a modern, active, vibrant, forward-looking Banaras. The Prime Minister said he had not come to Varanasi to make tall promises and his actions would speak for themselves. He announced the Union Government’s decision for a Rs. 2375 crore revival package for district cooperative banks. 16 of these banks are in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. This would ensure easy availability of credit to the lower and middle class, and help revive the handloom and powerloom sector. The Prime Minister also visited an exhibition showcasing the traditional arts and crafts of Banaras. The Governor of Uttar Pradesh Shri Ram Naik, and the Union MoS (IC) for Textiles Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar were present. The Prime Minister specifically thanked Shri Ahmad Hasan, Minister in the Uttar Pradesh Government, for being present on the occasion.