The Minister of State for Textiles (Independent Charge), Santosh Kumar Gangwar Thursday inaugurated the Handloom Marketing complex at Janpath in New Delhi, with a view to create a permanent marketing outlet that will enable handloom agencies to boost their sales as well as also make available quality handloom products to the perceptive consumers.

Gangwar said that this Complex in the capital city will serve as a window to the vast variety of handloom products produced all over the country by talented weavers. It will act as a forum for the promotion of handloom products both in the domestic and international market.

The Ministry is also committed to develop a strong, competitive and vibrant handloom sector to provide sustainable employment to the handloom weavers. The handloom sector provides employment to 43.31 lakh persons engaged on 23.77 lakh handlooms across the country.

It accounts for 11 % of textile production and makes a significant contribution in export earnings. Because of the uniqueness and exclusivity of designs, capability to produce small batch sizes and being eco-friendly fabric, handloom products are in high demand in domestic and international market.

There is also immense demand for handloom products in the niche domestic market wherein not only consumers, discerning retailers look for reliable source for constant supply of authentic handloom products on regular basis.

The Ministry of Textiles has taken many initiatives from time to time such as organizations of domestic marketing events, participation in international fairs and buyer-seller meets etc to provide a marketing support to handloom weavers.

The office of Development Commissioner for Handlooms has constructed this Complex with a project cost of Rs 42 crore. The Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, Government of India had allotted 1.779 acres of land at Janpath to the Ministry of Textiles for construction of the marketing complex. The new building will house handloom agencies and attract discerning Indian and foreign buyers for shopping.

Besides the permanent shops, the marketing complex has a provision for a Dilli Haat type atmosphere where weavers from different parts of the country will be invited for two weeks to one month period to exhibit and sell their handloom products.

After inauguration of the Handloom Marketing complex, Gangwar told the media that the new Textile Policy would be soon coming to reality, the deliberation process in going on for the same as the opinions of State Textiles Ministers have been taken into consideration. In the coming few days the Policy will be given final form.