National Handlooms Day 2022

National Handloom Day 2022: India celebrates National Handloom Day (NHD) on 7th of August every year.

Key Points:

This day is celebrated to honour the handloom weavers.
The day also highlights the contribution of the handloom industry to the socioeconomic development of the country and increased the income of the weavers.
It also raises awareness among people regarding the handloom industry.
The day also aims to protect the rich handloom heritage of India as well as to empower handloom community by providing better opportunities.
Ministry of Textile is the nodal agency of the celebration.
2022 marks the 8th National Handloom Day.
The Ministry of Textiles will be celebrating National Handloom day at Dilli Haat which is celebrated from August 1 to August 15.

Theme of NHD 2022:

This year theme of National Handloom Day 2022 is” Handloom, an Indian legacy”.

History of NHD:

The Union government officially declared August 7 as NHD in July 2015.
In 2015, the Honorable Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi declared August 7 as National Handloom Day.
It was on this day in 1905 that the Swadeshi Movement was launched
First National Handloom Day was celebrated on August 7, 2015 in Chennai.

Swadeshi Movement:

India’s handloom industry played a significant role in Swadeshi Movement.
The Swadeshi Movement was launched in the Calcutta Town hall to protest against the partition of Bengal by the British Government on August 7, 1905.
This movement was aimed to inspire and organize people to take up local goods and boycott the imported goods.
As a part of the movement, almost every household started production of khadi.

When India got independence, Indian flag made of Khadi was unfurled near India Gate.

About Indian handloom Industry:

Handloom is a symbol of India's glorious cultural heritage and an important source of livelihood.
It is the largest industry in India.
It is an important source of employment across rural areas of India.
This industry contributes significantly to the empowerment of women.
Women make up 70% of all weavers and related occupations.
Products manufactured by weaving community are in high demand all around the world.
The Indian handloom sector exports its products to more than 20 countries worldwide, like the UK, Germany,the USA, France, and South Africa.

Initiatives by the Indian Government:

The government, apart from celebrating the day in a general sense, has put in place a number of programmes.

These initiatives include the following: