Bhubaneswar: In order to boost productivity and reduce drudgery during the production of handlooms and handicrafts, traditional craftsmanship needs to blend with modern tools and techniques, said Ministry of Textiles Secretary Neelam Shami Rao, while chairing the concluding session of the two-day national conference on Handlooms and Handicrafts 2025 here Saturday.
Organised under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative by the Ministry of Textiles, through the offices of Development Commissioners (Handlooms and Handicrafts), the conference brought together senior officials from states and Union Territories, policymakers, and experts to frame a unified roadmap for sustainable growth in the handloom and handicraft industries.
The conference reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to reimagining the country’s handmade sector as a key pillar of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Speaking at the event, Rao urged design institutions like NIFT and IIHT to proactively forecast design and colour trends and called for smoother inter-state movement of raw materials to ensure efficient supply chains
. “We must safeguard the very ecosystem we are nurturing. Handlooms and handicrafts are not peripheral; they are premium products of the future,” said Rao.
She also announced that such conferences will be organised every six months to strengthen coordination between the Centre and states, facilitate cross-learning, and review progress of ongoing initiatives.
Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner Anu Garg highlighted the cultural and ecological importance of Odisha’s handlooms, citing Kotpad and Dongria shawls as examples of sustainable craft traditions.