Under the Directorate of Handloom and Textile’s “Swanirbhar Naari” program, which aims to empower the weaving community, the Assam government has officially begun purchasing traditional hand-woven goods.
An official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office stated that approximately 4.8 lakh female weavers from all over the State have registered their names on the relevant portal. These women will then sell their products at the 1000 procurement centers that were being set up.
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Speaking at the launch ceremony in Guwahati, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the initiative to buy hand-woven goods directly from weavers would help protect the State’s traditional handloom sector from the power loom industry.
Chief Minister Sarma said, quoting Gandhi’s famous line, “Assamese women weave dreams on their looms,” that the handloom industry, which he described as an art form that represents the Assamese cultural identity, has suffered greatly as a result of the flood of cheaper power loom-made goods flooding the market.
The Chief Minister stated that this procurement initiative would assist the handloom sector of the State in gaining an advantage over the power loom industry, noting that there were significant domestic and international markets for Assam-made handloom products.
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Sarma added, “The ‘Swanirbhar Naari’ initiative would provide the weavers with a sense of economic security because it guarantees an assured return on their investments in time and resources.”
The event was attended by state ministers in addition to Handloom and Textile Minister UrkhaoGwra Brahma.
In addition, Chief Minister Sarma stated that the government would enforce the handloom laws of the land in reference to the Handloom (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act of 1985, which prohibits the manufacture and sale of 11 items made with power looms and whose production has been reserved solely for the handloom sector.
A campaign would be launched by government agencies to ensure that items intended for the handloom industry are not produced by the power loom industry.
In addition, the Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for popularizing the Assamese hand-woven Gamusa by incorporating it into a variety of national and international official events.
The gamusa’s recent acquisition of the Geographical Indication tag would also significantly boost its popularity.
