The 9th National Handloom Day is being celebrated at the Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan on August 7 (Monday). Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked his presence at the venue. He was seen interacting with various artisans, handloom and khadi weavers. During this programme, PM Modi launched the e-portal of 'Bharatiya vastra evam shilp kosh' – a repository of textiles and crafts that has been developed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), the statement said.
"Today, we are celebrating National Handloom Day in Bharat Mandapam which was inaugurated recently. This confluence of ancient to modern defines today's India," said PM Modi at National Handloom Day celebrations in Delhi.
"The Swadeshi movement started today. It was a big reason why our government decided to celebrate today as National Handloom Day," he added. After independence, much importance was not given to strengthen the cloth industry(Khadi), which was so strong during the last century...the situation was that it was left to die...people who wore Khadi were looked upon with inferiority complex..." said PM Modi.
Over 3,000 handloom and khadi weavers, artisans and stakeholders from the textile and MSME sectors joined the programme. It will bring together handloom clusters across India, NIFT campuses, Weaver Service Centres, Indian Institute of Handloom Technology campuses, National Handloom Development Corporation, Handloom Export Promotion Council, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) institutions and various state handloom departments, said a statement.
The statement said, PM Modi has always been a firm proponent of giving encouragement and policy support to the artisans and craftsmen, who are keeping alive the country's rich tradition of artistry and craftsmanship.
Guided by this vision, the government started celebrating National Handloom Day, with the first such celebration being held on August 7, 2015.
The date was specifically chosen as an ode to the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on August 7, 1905, and encouraged indigenous industries and in particular handloom weavers.
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