In a recent meeting held in Bengaluru, Neelam Shami Rao, Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles, assured the Weavers’ Service Association of continued government support. The meeting also included key textile institutions and focused on initiatives to uplift the sector.
The government has disbursed over ₹364 crore this fiscal to aid handloom workers. ₹192 crore was allocated under the National Handloom Development Programme and ₹172 crore under the Raw Material Supply Scheme. Additional support includes monthly pensions for awardee handloom workers above 60 and scholarships up to ₹2 lakh per year for their children pursuing higher education in textiles.
Researchers from CSIR–NAL and IISc also presented projects under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), a ₹1,480 crore initiative running from 2020-21 to 2025-26. The mission is designed to accelerate the growth of technical textiles—specialized fabrics used in industries like automotive, healthcare, and construction.
With India being the 6th largest textile exporter globally and contributing nearly 2% to its GDP, the sector is projected to grow to $350 billion by 2030, generating an estimated 3.5 crore jobs.