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New Delhi, Dec 12 () A parliamentary panel on Thursday rapped the government for slow pace of modernisation of 22,000 village haats across the country and asked it to set a deadline for revamping rural marketplaces.
The panel also suggested the government to take steps towards making the scheme of modernising village haats 'GrAM' as a fully funded central scheme.
It also asked the government to take urgent steps for setting up of a committee of state agriculture ministers for early adoption of Model Agriculture Produce and Livestock Market Committee (APML) Act, 2017.
Placing its report in the Lok Sabha, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture headed by BJP member P C Gaddigoudar said: "The committee is astonished to know that none of revamped and modernised gramin haats has been inaugurated so far".
The committee is of the view that gramin haats have potential to change the face of marketing of agriculture produce in the country and can significantly enhance the income of farmers.
"The committee, therefore, desire the department (of agriculture) to take all the necessary steps to enhance the pace of modernisation of gramin haats across the country and set a deadline for each state," the report said.
The report was on the action taken by the government on the recommendation of the panel on the issue of agriculture marketing and gramin haats.
The panel had recommended the government to finalise procedural formalities for early implementation of GrAM scheme, enhance number of gramin haats being targeted for modernisation under the scheme and ensure presence of one gramin haat in each panchayat in the country, besides exempting such haats from state APMC regulations.
Stating that the governments' replies were not satisfying, the committee said the Union Agriculture Ministry has informed that it is undertaking questionnaire-based survey of these haats, and so far survey of more than 11,000 rural haats have already been completed. The survey results has been shared with the Rural Development Ministry for development of basic infrastructure through MNREGA scheme by states.
Further, the ministry informed that it has circulated guidelines to all states and union territories to facilitate and promote better management in GrAMs and requested states to exempt the GrAMs from state APMC regulations, the committee said in the report.
The ministry has also informed that the physical infrastructure is being strengthened through MNREGA scheme and the government has also approved an Agri-Market Infrastructure Fund (AMIF) with a corpus of Rs 2,000 crore with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for developing and upgrading agriculture marketing infrastructure in 10,000 gramin haats and 585 APMC markets, it added.
With regard to funding for gramin haat modernisation, the committee said the availability of central government funds is necessary for expeditious completion of works under the GrAM scheme as "indecisiveness" of state governments regarding financing of works for such haats will delay the ambitious project.
"The committee, therefore, once again reiterate to make 'GrAMs scheme' as the fully funded central scheme," the report said.
In the 2018-19 Budget, the government had announced development and upgradation of existing 22,000 village haats to GrAMs.
With regard to the model APLM Act, the committee said it is anguished to note that despite specific recommendation, the government has not taken any step for constitution of a committee of state agriculture ministers in order to arrive at a consensus and chalk out legal framework for marketing of agriculture produce in the country.
"Unless urgent steps are not taken to reform platform for agriculture marketing and specifically APMC, farmers of our country will not be able to get remunerative pricing for their produce," the committee said and urged the government to take initiative in this regard without any further delay.
The government has informed that so far Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have adopted the law while Punjab has done it partially. And other states are at varied stages in the process of adoption, it added. LUX BAL

Par panel raps govt for slow pace of 22,000 village haats modernisation

From tomorrow onwards, women and children in won't need to look for public conveniences in busy South <keyword id="66" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Delhi">Delhi</keyword> lanes. South Delhi Municipal Corporation (<keyword id="413995" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="SDMC">SDMC</keyword>) has passed an order that allows women and kids to access toilet facilities at hotels and restaurants in the area, without having to pay for anything. By this move, SDMC plans to boost the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/small-business/companies/swachh-bharat-campaign-goes-digital-private-companies-can-now-choose-their-cleanliness-projects-online/articleshow/57730445.cms">Swachh Bharat campaign</a> in its area. As reported earlier, SDMC had decided to pass this order in March itself, but it got delayed due to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/politics/bjp-sweeps-delhi-civic-polls-aap-alleges-evm-tampering/articleshow/58375826.cms">MCD elections</a>. Also, after the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/latest/sdmc-to-make-restrooms-in-south-delhi-hotels-and-restaurants-open-to-all/articleshow/57646024.cms">March announcement</a>, some hotels and restaurants had agreed to do so out of will, but once the policy kicks in officially today, they would be mandated to follow the code of conduct. Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/politics/looking-london-talking-kejriwal-cm-promises-london-like-delhi-in-one-year/articleshow/57492903.cms">'Looking London Talking Kejriwal'; CM promises London-like Delhi in one year</a> While earlier there were talks of making the facilities available for nominal fee, the new order makes them free to use. These hotels and restaurants would be free to give their feedback on the policy, following which it shall be reviewed in due course. Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/connaught-place-inner-circle-is-becoming-a-car-free-zone-beprepared-for-the-mess/articleshow/56956084.cms">Connaught Place inner circle is becoming a car free zone. Be prepared for the mess</a> Several of Delhi’s biggest markets like Central Market, Amar Colony Market in Lajpat Nagar, <keyword id="540476" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sarojini-Nagar-market">Sarojini Nagar Market</keyword>, INA Market, <keyword id="938985" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Delhi-Haat">Delhi Haat</keyword>, and Lakshmi Bai Market fall under SDMC jurisdiction. Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Khan-Market-In-Delhi-Is-The-First-Market-To-Deploy-FreeWi-Fi/articleshow/40359772.cms">Khan Market In Delhi Is The First Market To Deploy Free Wi-Fi</a> (Image source NAAG Tag)

South Delhi hotel toilet facilities made free for women and kids

New Delhi, Apr 30 () Agri-startups, which are growing at 25 per cent year-on-year basis, can offer tech solutions to help Indian farm sector to keep food and farm supply chain rolling during and post lockdown phase, according to a study by industry body Ficci.This becomes more critical amid the ongoing procurement of rabi (winter) crops and consequent sowing of kharif (summer) crops across the country in the backdrop of COVID-19 scare, it said.There are about 450 active agri-startups in India. Many of them are already working to solve the problems at hand, it added.According to the study, agri-tech startup companies have grown 25 per cent year-on-year. They have received venture capital funding of USD 545 million since 2014. out of this, USD 330 million came in 2019.Highlighting agri-tech solutions, the study said agri-startups can provide aggregation and distribution of farm produce from point of collection to consumption centres.Many startups are trying to connect farmers with buyers, including retailers, e-commerce, processors, cloud kitchens and even direct to consumers.Startups working in this area include Ninjacart, Jumbotail, Bigbasket, ShopKirana, SuperZop, WayCool, MeraKisan, Kamatan, DeHaat, KrishiHub, Agrowave, Loop, Crofarm, FreshoKartz, Agribolo, Himkara, Kisan Network.To provide quality assaying of agricultural commodities, startups like Intellolabs, Agricxlab, Zense, Raav Tech, Occipital, Amvicube and Nanopix are attempting to solve the problem of standardisation through mobile imagery and digitisation.To address post harvest challenges, the study said some startups have begun work on near farm, modular and affordable storage and processing solutions.These storage facilities are intended to give farmers an option to sell the produce at the right price and at the right time, instead of immediate or distressed liquidation of their produce after harvest.The startups in this category include Our Foods, Agri Bazaar, Star Agri, Arya Collateral, Ecozen, Origo, it added.For smooth operation of kharif sowing, the study said startups such as Agrostar, BigHaat, Behtar Zindagi, Unnati, Gramophone, Freshokartz, AgriBolo, DeHaat, Bharat Rohan, and Bharat Agr are offering solutions to optimise the use of agricultural inputs and enable delivery to farmers.Agri-startups are trying to build business models to reach out to farmers directly both online as well as through offline presence in the villages. Such startups can play a pivotal role in making sure that farmers get desired inputs in a timely manner, it said.To reduce labour cost through mechanisation, some start-up companies like Sickle innovations, Distinct Horizon, Tractor Junction, Khetibadi and J Farm service are offering mechanisation solutions for harvesting and sowing.In addition, some of the startups have focused on accurate and timely assessment of soil moisture and developing data-driven controlled irrigation models. The startups in this category include Satyukt Analytics, Flybird, Kritsnam, Agrirain, Manna Irrigation, the study added.That apart, some agritech startups can provide farmers advisory for crop monitoring, including institutional credit and crop insurance.CropIn, SatSure, Farmguide, Niruthi, AgRisk, Skymet. Startups like Samunnati, FarMart, Jai-Kisan, PayAgri, Bijak are specifically working in value chain financing.Many of these startups are using satellite images to geotag farms, assess crop health and estimate output. They are also building algorithms for farm monitoring and models for artificial intelligence to automate and improve predictably of yield and farmers' incomes, the study added. LUX BALBAL

Agri-startups can offer tech solutions to keep food supply chain rolling amid COVID-19 crisis: Study

New Delhi, Feb 13 () Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday urged people to gift indigenous products on occasions such as festivals and said promoting of 'swadeshi' goods would be a fitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Addressing the gathering at the inauguration of the 20th Hunar Haat here, Goyal said people should take a vow that they will promote 'swadeshi' (indigenous)goods for the next three years till 2022, when India marks 75 years of its independence. "I request that everyone should spread awareness throughout the country that the gifts that are given on festivals should be indigenous ones made by our craftsmen," he said. It will be the best tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary to move forward with the slogan of 'swadeshi', Goyal said. The minister said "despite pressure", he restricted import of incense sticks which revived the indigenous manufacture of 'agarbattis'. Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union minister Hardeep Puri and Indian Council for Cultural Relations president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe were also present on the occasion. ASK AQS

Gift indigenous products on festivals, promote 'swadeshi': Piyush Goyal

The US-based tech giant has added over 2,000 new images and 70 virtual exhibits to its platform through partnerships with various Indian institutes to give a glimpse of the rich Indian heritage to viewers across the world. Thus we can now see the exhibits from Kolkata's Victoria Memorial Hall, Dastkari Haat Samiti and Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute online.
 "In the last two years, we have seen a huge traction to <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> Cultural Institute. We have seen over 240 million page views. However, that has not affected these institutes negatively and they have seen higher footfalls," Google Cultural Institute Director <keyword id="255179" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Amit-Sood">Amit Sood</keyword> told PTI. 

	Google is also helping some of these institutes to make the content even more accessible through mobile apps to help them showcase their exhibits, he added. 
 

	The unveiled collection also includes 26 new virtual tours of famous sites like the Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple and the royal saloon that once was part of the Palace on Wheels. 
 "India has a rich heritage and culture and it has been our endeavour to showcase this to the world. Technology will play a crucial role in transforming and building a truly Digital India and in getting Indian culture and heritage online," Minister of State for Tourism and Culture (Independent Charge) <keyword id="210147" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mahesh-Sharma">Mahesh Sharma</keyword> told PTI. 

	Google Cultural Institute was launched in 2012 in India with the National Museum and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi as initial partners and now has 18 partners.

	 
	 
	(Image credits: Indiatimes)

Now you can see the latest exhibits of Indian museums on Google

New Delhi, Jan 15 () Amazon.com Inc chief Jeff Bezos on Wednesday announced USD 1 billion (over Rs 7,000 crore) investment in India to help bring small and medium businesses online and committed to exporting USD 10 billion worth of India-made goods by 2025.
 Before this, the online retail giant had committed USD 5.5 billion investments in India - Amazon's most important market outside of the US and a key growth driver.
 We are committed to being a long-term partner of India. And actions speak louder than words, he said.
 "Over the next five years, Amazon will invest an incremental USD 1 billion to digitise micro and small businesses... across India, helping them reach more customers than ever before. This initiative will use Amazon's global footprint to create USD 10 billion in India exports by 2025," he said.
 He added that part of this goal is to ensure that more people can participate in the prosperity of India. "We are making this announcement now because it is working... When something works you should double down on it. And that is why we are doing it."
 Amazon hopes that this investment will "bring millions of more people into the future prosperity of India and at the same time expose the world to the 'Make in India' products that represent India's rich, diverse culture."
 The company had previously said it expected e-commerce exports from India to reach USD 5 billion by 2023 under its global selling programme.
 Bezos, who began a three-day visit to India on Tuesday by visiting Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Rajghat here, was speaking at the SMBhav summit - an Amazon India gathering for small and medium businesses.
 "The 21st century is going to be the Indian century," the Amazon founder said, adding: "This country has something special: its dynamism. I also predict that the most important alliance in the 21st century will be between India and the United States."
 Bezos is expected to meet top government functionaries and business leaders during the trip.
 His visit has been marked by Competition Commission of India initiating a formal investigation into alleged deep discounts, preferential listing and exclusionary tactics adopted by Amazon and Flipkart, and small store owners demonstrating on the streets against online retailers driving them out of business by offering sharply discounted products.
 The Confederation of All India Traders, an association of about seven crore brick-and-mortar retailers, has said it will protest across 300 cities during his visit.
 Last year, the government had tightened rules for e-commerce marketplaces with foreign investment. These rules barred such platforms from offering products of sellers in which they hold a stake and banned exclusive marketing arrangements among other clauses. Following this, Amazon restructured its joint ventures to ensure compliance.
 Bezos is likely to take up these issues in his various meetings with government officials.
 Despite huge losses, Amazon has been pumping millions of dollars across various operations like marketplace, payments, infrastructure and supply chain management as well as marketing and promotion as it looks to strengthen its position in the fledgling Indian e-commerce market.
 In December last year, Amazon invested over Rs 1,700 crore into its payments and wholesale business units in India, while in October it had infused over Rs 4,400 crore (more than USD 600 million) in its various units in India, including marketplace and food retail.
 Bezos last visited India in 2014 when he presented Amazon's Indian unit with a giant cheque for USD 2 billion. 
 Since then, Amazon has pledged a further USD 3.5 billion to expand in the country and the USD 1 billion investment announced Wednesday would take the total committed investment to USD 6.5 billion.
 The USD 1 billion investment would be to digitise 10 million micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and traders across India, including manufacturers, resellers, local offline shops, and brands.
 As part of this effort, Amazon will establish 100 Digital Haats in cities and villages throughout India.
 "Today, there are more than 5,50,000 sellers on the Amazon India marketplace and more than 60,000 Indian manufacturers and brands are exporting their 'Make in India' products to customers worldwide on Amazon," as per a company statement on the event.
 "With today's announcement, Amazon will help Indian MSMEs grow their cumulative exports to USD 10 billion by 2025 through the Amazon Global Selling program, which enables businesses to sell on Amazon marketplaces globally."
 The Digital Haats will provide services like e-commerce onboarding, imaging and cataloguing, warehouse space, logistics, digital marketing, and compliance. Digital Haats will be in local neighbourhoods and available to MSMEs irrespective of their association with Amazon.
"The micro, small and medium-size businesses selling on Amazon.in are located across the country including Tier 2 and 3 cities, where they are generating jobs and transforming the retail landscape of the country," the statement added.
 According to a report, India is among the fastest growing markets for the e-commerce sector. Revenue from the sector is expected to increase to USD 120 billion in 2020 from USD 39 billion in 2017, growing at an annual rate of 51 per cent.
 Competition in the sector is also set to intensify as India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has announced plans to launch his own e-commerce venture. SR ANZ ANS

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos commits USD 1 bn investment to digitise small businesses in India

New Delhi, Feb 13 () Coca-Cola India on Thursday launched 'Unnati Litchi' programme in Bihar to start a virtuous cycle of 'fruit circular economy' in the state. Started together with DeHaat, National Research Centre on Litchi (NRCL) and Kedia Fresh, the initiative is aimed at enhancing efficiency of the agri-value chain and farmers' capability building on high-density plantation, farmer training for Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) and creation of demo orchards through appropriate technology interventions, a statement said. The initial phase of this initiative has been launched in the districts of Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Vaishali in the state, which are the major hubs for Litchi cultivation in the state. Unnati Litchi aims at educating and training over 80,000 farmers in the existing orchards, rejuvenating farms spanning over 3,000 acres, and introducing modern techniques like high density plantation to double Litchi productivity, it added.**** * Play introduces first AI driven noise cancelling wireless headset Gurgaon-based technology company Play has introduced AI driven noise cancelling wireless headset, claiming it is the first in the segment to launch such product. The company is looking at millennials, who are preferring popular OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, among others, the company said. Priced at Rs 14,999, PLAYGO BH-70 has Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven self-calibrating left and right earphones, hybrid active noise cancellation, smart-touch-&amp;-talk and auto-pause-&amp;-play features. The headphones, powered on the latest family of Qualcomm processor, boasts of Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity and has 1,000 mAh battery, which allows consumer to use the headset for up to 24 hours. ***** KONE Elevator to increase service centres, focusing on eastern market KONE Elevator India, a fully-owned subsidiary of KONE Corporation, is increasing the number of service centres with a focus on the eastern market to strengthen its position in the segment. India plays an important role for KONE in its global strategy given the investments it has done here over the years, the company said. "We are excited to be part of the government's plan for growth in eastern India's infrastructure sector and look forward to providing premium experiences with our advanced products," KONE Elevator India MD Amit Gossain said. "In the coming years, the country will see an even bigger focus on smart cities and urban development, and our workforce is well equipped to lead this technological advancement and infrastructure development," he added. KRH RVK

Coca-Cola launches 'Unnati Litchi' programme in Bihar to help farmers

A sixth-grade social science textbook that I read described India as a piece of fabric, with countless threads coloured in a myriad of majestic shades, woven together. This metaphor holds exceptionally well when put into the context of our <keyword id="22706215" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="handloom-industry" source="keywords">handloom industry</keyword>. India has a rich history of handlooms and weaving cultures. The culture of handlooms is so intricately woven into Indian culture, that there are whole towns dedicated to the same: <keyword id="248532" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chanderi" source="Orion">Chanderi</keyword> in Madhya Pradesh to Pochampally in Telangana and a dozen more! Unfortunately, the handloom industry in India is dying. The struggle is multi-faceted, ranging from a declining workforce to fierce competition from <keyword id="20496028" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="power-looms" source="keywords">power looms</keyword>. Hence, five years ago, August 7 was proclaimed <keyword id="22677698" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Handloom-Day" source="keywords">National Handloom Day</keyword> in response to this crisis and to heighten public awareness. This date holds special historical significance, commemorating the initiation of the Swadeshi Movement in 1905—a pivotal act of defiance against British colonial rule. <h2>When did this industry come into existence?</h2>According to archaeological findings, the origins of handloom in the Indian subcontinent may be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization. The Mughal Empire was known to support and patronise <keyword id="20258864" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="weavers" source="keywords">weavers</keyword>. The support from the royal patrons resulted in the invention of new textiles such as ‘Mulmul’ and ‘Banarasi Brocade’ among others. This era witnessed a heightened worldwide demand for Indian textiles. In the 17th century, India produced 25% of the world’s textiles, with Bengal accounting for more than 50% of textiles and 80% of silks imported by the Dutch from Asia. <h2>What led to the decline of the <keyword id="19934660" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-handloom" source="keywords">Indian handloom</keyword>?</h2>The East India Company's entry fuelled the industry's initial decline, which started in the 1830s. The weavers were obliged to sell only to the British, and that too at exceedingly cheap prices, virtually putting them out of business. On the other hand, Indian cloth was taxed excessively to promote machine-made British clothing. The Industrial Revolution in Britain strengthened their indigenous textile industry, giving rise to new markets for cheaper textiles. In India, the collapse of the Mughal aristocracies meant no access to royal patronage. As a result, textiles like Khadi and muslin had little demand in the market. Circling back to the present, the industry is facing both similar and new challenges. Fabrics made on power looms are cheaper and faster to produce, in comparison to handloom fabrics. The industry is largely unorganised, and the wages are shockingly low. 67% of <keyword id="22706216" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="handloom-workers" source="keywords">handloom workers</keyword> are earning less than the minimum wage every month. Faced with economic challenges, the older artisans are thus forced to encourage the newer generation to choose an alternative career path. This migration of the workforce from a traditional sector is evident from the fall in the number of weavers less than 35 years of age- from 26.13 lakh in 2009-10 to 16.07 lakh in 2019-20. The majority of weavers do not have access to banking facilities, let alone institutional credit. Furthermore, if one manages to accumulate credit, there is a mismatch between the supply and demand forces due to the lack of awareness about handwoven textiles in the current generation. <h2>Initiatives for revival</h2>The cultural significance of the Indian handloom isn’t just limited to its beauty and extravagance, but it extends to our independence struggle as well. The Swadeshi movement immortalised the charkha and advocated for the use of indigenous goods. Following independence, the Indian government took many measures to revive the handloom industry. In 1953, India’s Parliament approved the Khadi and Other Handloom Industries Development Act. In 1955, the All India Handloom Fabrics Marketing Cooperative Society was formed to promote the sale of fabrics produced by handloom cooperatives across India. The National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP) aimed to provide financial assistance for marketing and production. The Handloom Weavers’ Comprehensive Welfare Scheme offers health and life insurance to weavers, to ensure social security. The organisation commenced a fortnight-long exhibition, “VIRAASAT” dedicated to celebrating the 10th National Handloom Day began at Handloom Haat in Janpath, New Delhi on Saturday, 3rd August 2024, and will conclude on 16th August 2024. The Handloom Mark scheme was introduced to authenticate handloom products, thus enabling weavers to gain better market access and ensuring that consumers get genuine products. Moreover, the India Trade Portal also mentions that the GOI plans to provide financial assistance of Rs. 30 crore to at least 10,000 handlooms. Various state governments also regularly conduct handloom expos and fairs, providing platforms for weavers to showcase and sell their products directly to consumers. <h2>Contemporary Brands and their love for Indian handloom</h2>Modern, popular designers such as <keyword id="8264" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sabyasachi" source="Orion">Sabyasachi</keyword> and <keyword id="21493890" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ritu-kumar" source="keywords">Ritu Kumar</keyword> are known to work closely with weavers and have been doing their part by bringing worldwide attention to the handloom industries. Recently, <keyword id="1472101" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ajrakh" source="Orion">Ajrakh</keyword> was brought into the limelight when Alia Bhatt wore a custom Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla Ajrakh saree to Joy Awards in Riyadh. However, it’s not just the fashion moguls who are working towards the revival of this industry. Contemporary indie brands are partnering with local weavers, and creating awareness about their work. The emergence of such indie brands and their association with local artisans is beneficial for both entities. For instance, Joskai Studio derives its name from ‘Joskai’, a woven piece of cloth worn as a part of the traditional costume of the Tiwa community of Assam. They work with artisans in northeast India, specifically from the weaving village of Saualkuchi in Assam. Rouka by Sreejith Jeevan is a Kerala-based brand that works strictly with weavers from Kerala, specifically Chendamangalam and Kuthampally. <h2>Employment and Exports</h2>According to the Indian Trade Portal, the Indian handloom sector is the country’s second-largest employer after agriculture in rural areas. The Handloom Census 2019-20 mentions that the industry employs about 35,22,512 workers across the country, with women forming 77.29% of the workforce. India is the second largest exporter of handloom products in the world, with exports valued at $ 353.9 million in 2017- 18, as per EXIM bank's working papers. The major handloom export centres are Karur, Panipat, Varanasi and Kannur where handloom products like bed linen, table linen, toilet linen, floor coverings, and embroidered textile materials and curtains etc. are produced for export markets. During April 2021-February 2022, India exported handloom products worth 1693 crore, as per Indian Trade Portal. Indian silk scarves also form a sizable chunk of total handloom exports, in addition to home textiles like carpets, rugs and mats, which constitute over 13.6% of India’s total handloom exports. <h2>The Path Forward</h2>The mere existence of organisations and allocation of funds isn’t enough to sustain the legacy of India’s rich handloom industry. Big corporations working with local weavers ensure employment but don't protect them from exploitation and meagre wages, leaving them vulnerable. The people in power ought to come up with strategies that ensure the trickle-down effect of the schemes and funds. The new generation of buyers has a greater purchasing power than the one before them. Marketing focused on bringing Indian handloom practices into the limelight can do wonders in this case.

You Searched For "Delhi Haat" and got 8 results

Par panel raps govt for slow pace of 22,000 village haats modernisation

PTI

South Delhi hotel toilet facilities made free for women and kids

BI India Bureau

Agri-startups can offer tech solutions to keep food supply chain rolling amid COVID-19 crisis: Study

PTI

Gift indigenous products on festivals, promote 'swadeshi': Piyush Goyal

PTI

Now you can see the latest exhibits of Indian museums on Google

BI India Bureau

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos commits USD 1 bn investment to digitise small businesses in India

PTI

Coca-Cola launches 'Unnati Litchi' programme in Bihar to help farmers

PTI

Fabric of a nation: Sustaining India's handloom legacy in modern times

Prerna Tyagi

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