Weavers Service Centre celebrates National Handloom Day

 Vijayawada: The Weavers Service Centre here, operating under the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Union Ministry of Textiles, celebrated the National Handloom Day. The event saw the participation of approximately 145 weavers, distinguished guests, the State government officials, and master weavers.

The celebrations in Vijayawada were inaugurated by G Rekha Rani, Commissioner of Handlooms and Textiles, who highlighted the handloom sector’s significance in the region’s socio-economic development. National Handloom Day, celebrated on August 7th, commemorates the Swadeshi Movement, which was a symbol of India’s freedom struggle and promoted the use of indigenous handloom products.

This year’s main event was held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, bringing together weavers and students from across the country. In addition to the main event in Vijayawada, the Weavers Service Centre organised five other programmes in key handloom pockets at Pedana, Krishna district, Mangalagiri, Guntur district, Venkatagiri, Tirupati district, Muramanda, East Godavari district and Isukapalli, Bapatla district.

During the event, the live telecast of the National Handloom Day celebrations from New Delhi was screened. This year, three individuals from Andhra Pradesh were honoured with national awards: Lakka Srinivasulu from Venkatagiri received the Sant Kabir Award. Karnati Murali from Palnadu received the National Award. Jujare Nagaraju from Dharmavaram received the National Award.

Union Minister of Textiles, Giriraj Singh, addressed the gathering, emphasising the importance of preserving and promoting traditional handloom products to enhance India’s cultural identity and socio-economic growth. Short films on Indian handloom textiles were also showcased, and handloom awards for the year 2024 were presented by the Union Minister.

The event served as a platform to disseminate information about various central government schemes for weavers, including the SCDP, HSS, Weaver Mudra Loan, yarn subsidy, scholarships, and Samarth training programmes. Exceptional weavers were also felicitated for their valuable contributions to the industry.

The National Handloom Day celebration in Vijayawada aimed at fostering a sense of pride in wearing handloom textiles and to raise awareness about the cultural significance of this timeless craft. The event was attended by M Nageswara Rao, Joint Director (H&T)/General Manager, APCO, G Raja Rao, Joint Director (H&T), Office Commissioner, and KS Sakode, Manager-Commercial, NHDC, Vijayawada.