Lok Sabha Question No. 2979 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-18
Subject: Promotion of Traditional Textiles
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Shri Saumitra Khan

## PROMOTION OF TRADITIONAL TEXTILES

## 2979. SHRI SAUMITRA KHAN:

Will the Minister of TEXTILES वस्त्र मंत्री be pleased to state :

(a)  whether the Government has any policy in place to preserve as well as promote traditional textile industry and if so, the details thereof;

- (b) whether State of West Bengal is rich in traditional textiles, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has conducted any survey to find out the States rich in traditional textiles;

(d) if so, the steps taken by Government to preserve and promote rich traditional textile industry of the region; and

(e)  the  details  of  funds  allocated  for  the  development  of  traditional  textile  industry,  State-wise particularly in West Bengal?

## उत्तर ANSWER )

## वस्त्र राज्  य मंत्री ( श्री पबित्र मार्घेररटा

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES (SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA)

(a) to (d): The  Government  has  taken  various  steps  to  preserve  and  promote  traditional  textile Industry  of  Handlooms.  Design  Resource  Centres  have  been  set  up  in  Weavers'  Service  Centres  at Kolkata,  Delhi,  Mumbai,  Varanasi,  Ahmedabad,  Jaipur,  Bhubaneswar,  Guwahati,  Kancheepuram, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Meerut, Nagpur and Panipat to preserve traditional handloom designs, and to build and create design-oriented excellence in the Handloom Sector.

Ministry of Textiles is also seeking protection of traditional designs and patterns under the Geographical Indication (GI) Act, 1999. This Ministry provides financial assistance for registering the designs/products under the GI Act and for organizing seminars, workshops etc., for awareness creation.

Several States, including, West Bengal are rich in traditional textiles of Handlooms.

An all-India census was conducted in the year 2019 to determine number of Handloom Weavers, and ascertain the areas rich in traditional textiles i.e. Handlooms.

To promote the Handloom sector, Ministry of Textiles is implementing the following schemes across the country:

1. National Handloom Development Programme;
2. Raw Material Supply Scheme;

Under the above schemes, financial assistance is provided to the eligible handloom agencies/weavers for raw materials, common infrastructure development, marketing of handloom products in domestic/overseas markets, Weaver MUDRA Loans etc.

In addition to the above,

-  Under Weaver MUDRA/Concessional Credit Scheme, margin money assistance at 20% of the loan amount subject to a maximum of Rs. 25,000/- for individual weaver/Weaver Entrepreneur and Rs. 20 lakh for Handloom Organizations, interest subvention upto 7% and credit guarantee fees on loans for a period of three years are provided.
-  Steps have been taken to on-board weavers and artisans on Government e-Market (GeM) place to enable them sell their products directly to various Government Departments and organizations. So far about 1.50 lakh weavers have been on-boarded on the GeM portal.
-  Weavers  are  facilitated  to sell their products  online  through  indiahandmade  portal  and  23 e-commerce platforms have been associated by Ministry of Textiles under a policy framework.
-  For  export  promotion  of  handloom  products,  Handloom  Export  Promotion  Council  has  been organizing International Fairs. During the year 2023-24, various international marketing fairs/events  have  been  organised.    Besides,  domestic  marketing  events  were  also  organised  in different parts of the country for the weavers to market and sell their products.
-  To enhance productivity, marketing capabilities and ensure better incomes, 160 Handloom Producer companies have been formed in different States.

(e): Funds are not allocated State-wise. The funds are released based on receipt of proposals from the State Governments and other Handloom organisations.

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