Lok Sabha Question No. 5210 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-24
Subject: Status of Handloom and Handicraft Cluster in Tamil Nadu
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Shri Mani A

## STATUS OF HANDLOOM AND HANDICRAFT CLUSTER IN TAMIL NADU

## 5210.  SHRI MANI A:

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

(a)  whether  the  Government has undertaken any  assessment of the status of handloom and handicraft clusters in Tamil Nadu, particularly in Dharmapuri district and if so, the details thereof;

(b) the details of the schemes being implemented in Tamil Nadu for handloom weavers and handicraft artisans  relating  to  design  development,  raw  material  support,  loom  upgradation  and  marketing assistance;

(c) whether  any  district-specific  study  has  been  conducted  in  Dharmapuri  to  identify gaps  in infrastructure,  common  facility  centres,  training  and  institutional  procurement  support  and  if  so,  the details thereof;

(d)  the  steps  taken  to  link  artisans  from  Dharmapuri  with  national  exhibitions,  buyer-seller  meets,  ecommerce portals and export promotion councils; and

(e)  whether  the  Government  proposes  any  focused  cluster  development  or  revival  package  for strengthening the textile-based cottage industries in Dharmapuri district and if so, the details thereof?

## उत्तर

## ANSWER

## वस्त्र मंत्री (श्री गिरििाज स ंह)

## MINISTER OF TEXTILES (SHRI GIRIRAJ SINGH)

(a): Ministry of Textiles provides financial assistance to identified handloom & handicraft clusters across  the  country  including  Tamil  Nadu  State.  Financial  assistance  of  Rs.1713.31  lakh  has  been provided for the development of 34 clusters in Tamil Nadu State under National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP) during 2021-22 to 2025-26 (as on 28.02.2026) which are under implementation.

(b) & (c): The Government of India, Ministry of Textiles is implementing following schemes for the development of handloom and handicraft sectors across the country, including Tamil Nadu State:

1. National Handloom Development Programme;
2. Raw Material Supply Scheme;
3. National Handicraft Development Programme;
4. Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme;

Under  the  above  schemes,  financial  assistance  is  provided  for  raw  materials,  purchase  of upgraded  looms,  accessories  and  toolkits,  design  innovation,  product  diversification,  infrastructure development, marketing of handloom and handicraft products in domestic and overseas markets, loans at concessional rates, etc.

(d): To  provide  the  marketing  platforms  to  the  handloom  and  handicraft  agencies/weavers/artisans and  to  sell  their  products  directly  to  the  customers,  expos  are  organised  across  the  country  including participation  in  various  crafts  melas  &  Dilli  Haat  programme  etc.  In  addition,  an  e-commerce  portal (https://www.indiahandmade.com/)  has  already  been  launched  to  support  the  handloom  &  handicraft sector for online marketing of handmade products.

For export promotion of handlooms/handicrafts, participation of handloom exporters  in various International  marketing  events/fairs  India  International  Trade  Fair,  Buyer  Seller  Meet,  Reverse  Buyer Seller Meet, Big Ticket events, Bharat Tex, are organized through Handloom Export Promotion Council/ Export Promotion Council Handicrafts.

(e): Under  the  Cluster  Development  Programme  (CDP),  a  component  of  National  Handloom Development Programme(NHDP), need based financial support is provided through various interventions like upgraded looms & accessories, construction of worksheds, solar lighting units, product &  design  development  etc.,  across  the  country  including  Tamil  Nadu  State.  Under  CDP,  handloom clusters  are  identified  by  the  State  Government  based  on  the  requirement  of  handloom  workers  and accordingly, proposals are submitted to Government of India for consideration.