To suggest a road map for doubling the production and quadrupling the exports of handlooms in a span of 3 years, Government has constituted a committee which will submit its final report within 45 days from the day of constitution.
On 7 August, celebrating National Handloom day, the Government had doubled the handloom production target.
In a statement, the Ministry of Textiles (MoT) informed that the committee, headed by Sunil Sethi, Chairman, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), has members Dr. Sudha Dhingra, Professor, NIFT, New Delhi; Shefali Vaidya, Freelance writer, Pune; Anagha Gaisas, Owner, Saudamini Handlooms, Pune; Suket Dhir, Fashion Designer, New Delhi; Sunil Alagh, MD, SKA Advisors & Former MD and CEO, Britannia Industries Ltd., Mumbai; Dr. K.N. Prabhu of Paradigm International, Karur; Hetal R. Mehta, Chairman, Science Engineering & Science Engineering & Technological Upliftment Foundation (SETU), Surat.
Apart from these members, Zonal Directors, Manoj Jain and S. Bandyopadhyay will be associated with the Committee to facilitate in providing necessary inputs.
The committee will suggest the strategy and policy framework for doubling the production and for improving the quality of handloom products with the aim of enhancing income of the weavers.
It will also suggest ways for partnering and collaboration of handloom weavers’ agencies with the designers, buying houses and institutions, organisations and exporters.
Apart from focusing on export, the committee will also suggest the ways and means for improving the marketing of handloom products in domestic market and measure for improving the input supplies (raw materials, credit, technology upgradation, skilling, designs etc.).