Rs 6000-crore subsidy for Indian handloom sector

The Indian handloom sector, which does not fall under the goods and services tax (GST) regime, has been allocated subsidies worth Rs 6,000 crore and the government may consider a suggestion to offer 20 per cent annual rebate on handloom products, minister of state for textiles Ajay Tamta informed Parliament recently.

To encourage solar-powered handloom units, the government provides a subsidy of 90 per cent to scheduled tribe weavers, 75 per cent to scheduled caste weavers and 50 per cent to the general category weavers, Tamta said. The government will also organise an all-India handloom programme for weavers in Guwahati from August 7 to create awareness about the various government initiatives.

The India Handloom Brand (IHB), which promotes production of high-quality handloom products with authentic traditional designs, zero defect and minimum adverse impact on environment, has partnered with various retail stores and 20 e-commerce entities to sell its exclusive products, apart from selling through its online portal, minister of textiles Smriti Irani told Parliament. IHB was launched in August 2015.

The textile ministry has linked the producers of IHB products with some leading brands, such as BIBA, Peter England, ONAYA, which have launched separate range of garments for promoting traditional textiles, Irani said in her written reply.