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Government is committed to raise the market positioning of handloom products: Textiles Secretary

The integrated website of �India Handloom� Brand www.indiahandloombrand.gov.in was launched today by Mrs. Rashmi Verma, Secretary to Government of India, Ministry of Textiles.

The website is a one stop platform for all services to consumers, bulk buyers and handloom producers. The website will provide full details of all registered India Handloom producers which will facilitate verification of genuine India Handloom product by customers. They will able to verify the genuineness of the Brand logo through the registration no. which is printed on every label on the product. The website will also provide information about the retail stores and e-commerce platform from where India Handloom branded products can be purchased. It will also contain brief description of every product category and tips to identify genuine products. Contact details of India Handloom Brand producers are available for bulk buyers like retail stores, garment manufacturers who will able to directly access the handloom producers registered under the Brand. The web site has also a section where handloom producers can apply online for registration under the Brand and can also track status of their application.

While launching the website, Secretary(Textiles) said that the Government is committed to raise the market positioning of handloom products for development of handloom industry and for increasing wages of handloom weavers. She said that website will be an important platform for achieving these objectives and would be user- friendly both for consumers as well as handloom producing agencies.

�India Handloom� Brand was launched by Hon�ble Prime Minister on 7th August, 2015, the first National Handloom Day, to endorse the quality of handloom products in terms of raw material, processing, embellishment, weaving, design and other parameters besides social and environment compliance. The main objective is to promote the production of quality products with new designs for winning the trust and confidence of customers by giving particular attention to defect free, hand woven, authentic niche products with zero defect and zero impact on environment.

The registration under the brand is given after stringent testing of samples in Govt. of India laboratory. By 10th February, 2016, 121 handloom producing agencies/enterprises have been given registration under the Brand in 33 product categories.Several e-commerce platforms and leading retail stores have been engaged for marketing of India Handloom branded products.

More than 43 lakh persons are engaged in this sector with annual production of 720 crore sq.mtrs which is 14% of the total textile sector. It provides livelihood to large number of rural women and backward sections of the society. Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles is responsible for development of sector in partnership with state governments. It is supported by 28 Weavers� Service Centres and 10 Indian Institutes of Handloom Technology. National Handloom Development Corporation is responsible for supply of quality yarn, dyes and chemicals.

In order to address the main challenges of competition from powerloom sector, concerns of consumers about quality, and stagnant wages for weavers, new strategy aims at increasing production of high value good quality products leading to consumers satisfaction and remunerative earnings to the weavers. Block Level Cluster Approach to support quality production and �India Handloom� Brand for market positioning are two key elements of new strategy.

Documented success stories have established that number of handlooms alongwith new jobs have increased wherever market linked design intervention has been taken up for supporting weaving of quality handloom products. Such efforts are being further strengthened by launch of �India Handloom� Brand.

Shri J. K. Dadoo, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor; Shri Alok Kumar, Development Commissioner for Handlooms and other senior officers of Ministry of Textiles were present on the occasion.