Textile Ministry kick starts 'VIRAASAT' exhibition to celebrate 10th National Handloom Day

New Delhi [India], August 4 : The Textile Ministry is organising a fortnight-long exhibition called "VIRAASAT," to celebrate the 10th National Handloom Day, which commenced at Handloom Haat in Janpath on Saturday.
The National Handloom Development Corporation Ltd (NHDC), an arm of the Textiles Ministry is organising this handloom expo, the ministry said in a release on Sunday.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 11 am to 8 pm.
Handloom products drawn from some of the exotic locations of India were on display and sale at the exhibition, the release added.
During the event, several activities will be organised at the Handloom Haat like 75 stalls for handloom weavers and artisans to directly retail the products, a Curated theme display of exquisite handloom of India, Workshops on natural dyes, Kasturi cotton, design and exports, Live loom demonstration, Folk dances of India, Delicious regional cuisines etc.
Prime Minister during Mann ki Baat (112th episode) appreciated that the work of handloom artisans is spread across every corner of the country and the way handloom products have made their place in the hearts of people is very successful, tremendous, and also urged to upload photos with local products on social media with the hashtag '#MyProductMyPride'.
In 2015, the Government of India decided to commemorate the 7th of August every year as National Handloom Day.
The first National Handloom Day was held on 7th August 2015 by PM Modi in Chennai. On this day, the handloom weaving community is honoured and the contribution of this sector in the socio-economic development of this country is highlighted.
The Indian handloom sector employs 35 lakh persons directly or indirectly which is next only to the agricultural sector in the country, as per the Textile Ministry.
The government of India has launched various schemes for Handloom for branding high-quality products with zero defects and zero effect on the environment to encourage and give a distinct identity to the products, apart from highlighting the uniqueness of the products.
The Ministry said that it is encouraging all the exhibitors at the exhibition to display their exquisite products and thus aim to improve the market for Handloom products and earnings of the handloom community.
The uniqueness of products such as Banarasi, Jamdani, Baluchari, Madhubani, Kosa, Ikkat, Patola, Tussar Silk, Maheshwari, Moirang Phee, Baluchari, Phulkari, Laheriya, Khandua and Tangaliya to name a few attracts customers across the globe with exclusives weaves, designs, and traditional motifs.