Context
India’s handloom sector, supporting over 35 lakh weavers and allied workers, remains a major source of rural non-farm employment and cultural heritage. However, declining returns, fragmented markets, skill erosion and fading traditional weaving practices threaten its sustainability.
Explanation
- Handloom refers to fabric woven manually on a loom without the use of power; it is a labour-intensive and decentralised industry.
- The sector is closely associated with the Swadeshi Movement (1905) and Gandhian self-reliance, with the spinning wheel becoming a symbol of economic resistance.
- National Handloom Day – August 7 commemorates the launch of the Swadeshi Movement in 1905.
- Handlooms provide employment to over 35 lakh workers, with women forming nearly 70% of the workforce.
- India has Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged handloom traditions such as Banarasi Brocades, Kanchipuram Silk and Pochampally Ikat.
- The Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985 protects specified products for exclusive handloom production.
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