Giriraj throws open Rs 76 cr campus of Indian Institute of Handloom Technology at Fulia in Bengal

Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh on Sunday inaugurated the new permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology built at a cost of Rs 75.95 crore at Fulia in West Bengal’s Nadia district.

The sprawling campus of 5.38 acres has a modern infrastructure comprising smart classes, a digital library, and modern and well-equipped testing laboratories. The new campus will be a model learning place and will serve as a centre of excellence in the field of handloom and textile technology and cater to the educational needs of students from West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Sikkim.

A unified website for all six Central IIHTs was launched during the inaugural function. The minister also awarded medals and merit rank certificates to the top 10 rank holders among all the IIHTs in India on the occasion.

“The Textile Ministry is committed to reaching the market size of 300 billion dollars in the year 2030 and provide employment to 6 crore persons in textile value chain,” Giriraj Singh said at the inaugural function.

A book titled ‘Computer-aided Figured Graph Designing for Jacquard Weaving’ was also released by the Minster during the event.

Giriraj Singh in his inaugural address highlighted the contribution of different schemes of textile ministry for the ‘Vikas & Pragati’ of handloom weavers. The Minister dedicated this institute with world-class infrastructure to West Bengal and declared the increase of intake for first-year admission into this institute from the existing 33 to 66. The children of handloom weavers will get the opportunity to study in this institute and serve the handloom industry of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Sikkim.

The minister said that IIHT Fulia will contribute significantly to the textile value chain by using Flax and linen as raw materials and using design inputs from NIFT, Kolkata.

The Union Minister also highlighted the legacy of handloom weaving in West Bengal and said that our handloom products were having more demand than the cloth produced in Manchester before the industrial revolution. The fineness of the hand-woven fabrics of Bengal was as such that a saree could be passed through a small ring.

The minister stated that this IIHT building is not just a building but it is a platform from where the handloom weavers’ children can fulfil their dreams. By making the students highly skilled, the handloom craft will be made sustainable and it will give the handloom sector global recognition. The confluence of simplicity, tradition and technology is a joint step towards making ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

The local MP and MLAs of the district along with senior officials were present at the event.