Facilities at Indian Handloom Training centre to be upgraded

Tirupati / Chittoor : On the 10th National Handloom Day, Collectors of Tirupati and Chittoor districts - Dr S Venkateswar and Sumit Kumar - emphasised the State government's dedication to advancing the handloom sector. They assured steps to bring awareness on handloom products and provide marketing facilities for them. The day was celebrated in the two districts amid handloom weavers on Wednesday.

In Tirupati district, celebrations began with a rally organised by the students of Pragada Kotaiah Indian Handloom Training Centre in Venkatagiri, which was flagged off by Collector Dr Venkateswar and local MLA Kurugondla Ramakrishna.

During a subsequent meeting at Padmashali Kalyana Mandapam, Dr Venkateswar highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiatives for handloom weavers and noted that Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s commitment is evident by his participation in National Handloom Day celebrations during the day. He underscored that while agriculture is the leading sector, handloom ranks second in importance and assured to take steps for the establishment of a textile park in Venkatagiri.

The Collector addressed issues faced by handloom weavers, including water damage to looms during the rainy season. He pledged to improve infrastructure by constructing roads and side canals in handloom-weaving areas and to enhance the facilities at Indian Handloom Training Centre, which is the only Institute in the two Telugu States. Plans for modernisation and the establishment of a textile park in Venkatagiri were also announced. He assured that problems related to Tidco houses would be resolved and efforts would be made to increase admissions at Handloom Training Centre.

MLA Ramakrishna reflected on the significant contributions of former CM NT Rama Rao to the development of handlooms and suggested that transferring the Indian handloom training centre to the Central government could secure additional funding for its growth. Several handloom weavers were honoured during the event. The event was attended by District Handlooms and Textiles Department Officer Picheswar Rao, Municipal Chairman Bhanu Priya, master weavers and numerous handloom workers. In Chittoor, the celebrations were held at the district Secretariat. Outlining new initiatives to handloom weavers, Collector Sumit Kumar highlighted plans to provide financial aid for essential equipment and infrastructure. Recognising the economic challenges faced by many handloom workers, he also proposed introduction of insurance coverage to safeguard against health and safety risks.

To address the growing demand for handloom products across various states and cities, the Collector announced organisation of promotional exhibitions. These will feature stalls at key locations, including district secretariat, sub-registrar offices, government hospitals, ZP offices, and MPDO offices. Bank loans, insurance and other support needs for workers will also be discussed with officials.