Union Minister Piyush Goyal stresses upon need to put Handloom Census data in public domain

Minister of Textiles Piyush Goyal has stressed upon the need to connect weavers and artisans with a greater clientele with both domestic as well as International customers. Addressing 8th National Handloom Day event in New Delhi yesterday, Mr Goyal said,  e-commerce initiatives should be utilized to the fullest, the emphasis should be on onboarding of Handloom Weavers and Handicraft artisans on GeM portal in large numbers and simultaneously making it incumbent upon all Government Departments to purchase Handloom Products for all their textile needs. He urged the Ministries of Commerce, Industry and Textiles to join hands to facilitate the process.

Mr Goyal stressed upon the need to put the Census data of Handlooms of over 35 lakh handloom workers in public domain for transparency and validation so that the benefits of handloom schemes reach the genuine beneficiaries.

The Minister asked for organizing a large scale exhibition involving all awardees of Handlooms and Handicraft since inception of the awards to celebrate their achievement and inspire others to emulate them. He highlighted the need for quality, consistency and need for selective use of technology to reduce drudgery without compromising the basic character of Handlooms. Mr Goyal said, Prime Minister is the biggest Brand Ambassador of Art and Crafts made in India and always prefers gifting Handloom and Handicraft items to dignitaries during his foreign visits.