Himachal's Sharan to be developed as Craft Handloom Village

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Sharan village near the heritage village of Naggar in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh is among the 10 villages in the country selected as a Craft Handloom Village by the Union government.

Announcing on the occasion to mark National Handloom Day, Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani said the Craft Handloom Villages would not only promote the handloom industry but also make them a centre of tourist attraction.

She said NIFT centres would also help promoting handloom products in the country.

She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi also wanted to promote the handloom industry in a big way as this would not only strengthen the economy of the handloom sector but also provide best consumer products.

The Union Minister said a weavers' felicitation centre would be set up at Saran village.

Speaking virtually from Dehra in Kangra district, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said about 20,000 people are involved in handloom business. He said Himachali shawls and caps have earned world fame.

The Kullu and Kinnauri shawls have been reserved under the Handloom Protection Act by the government of India and both of them have been patented.

Thakur thanked the Union Minister for giving her consent for developing Sharan village as a Craft Handloom Village. He said under this project, the Centre has sanctioned Rs 118.63 lakh and the state would contribute Rs 13.40 lakh.

The Chief Minister said during the lockdown the cottage industry, particularly in rural areas, has supplemented the village economy to a large extent.

He said the state was striving to promote the 'One District One Product' concept to popularise traditional products of the state.

Thakur said the state was committed for the development of handloom. He said that 10 per cent grant was being provided for purchase of thread through National Handloom Development Corp to the handloom entrepreneurs.

He said training was also being provided to about 450 handloom weavers of nine districts through Himachal Pradesh State Handicraft and Handloom Corp.