Imphal, Aug 8 : Like in the rest of the country, the second National Handloom Day was yesterday observed at the Manipur Film Development Society (MFDS) Auditorium, Palace Gate, Imphal.
The function to mark the day was organized by the Department of Commerce and Industries, Government of Manipur and the Office of Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Weavers' Service Centre (WSC), Imphal, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.
Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh opined that the improvement of handloom widely in Manipur can reduce unemployment and will boost up the economy of the state.
He said that if handloom sector develops, it will give lots of benefit in terms of generation of employment and the economic.
The professional and eminent entrepreneurs need to widen up their industries to increase the production quantities of handloom products in order to meet the demands of several buyers outside the state.
Earlier Panthoibi Arcade, a marketing complex for handloom and handicraft products located at Wangkhei, was also inaugurated by the Commerce and Industries Minister Govindas Konthoujam.
As part of the celebration, monetary assistance was given to seven national awardees and 15 handloom entrepreneurs as a sign of encouragement to continue working in the field of handloom and handicrafts.
Govindas Konthoujam stressed on the developmental works taken up by the state government particularly in promoting the department of commerce and industries.
Right now there are 61 clusters across the state which is functioning well. Fifty one clusters are from the North East Textile Promotion Scheme and 10 clusters are from Block level, said Govindas.
The Department of Commerce and Industries has been working tirelessly to provide all the necessary support to artisans and weavers so as to reach out to the unemployed youth.
Annually the department receives about Rs. 50 crore from the Centre, he said. The money invested should have certain returns and it should be on creating employment opportunities and promoting the economy of the state.
He further appealed to all the artisans and weavers, including the entrepreneurs, to be responsible and more professional in their work so as to bring economic development through handloom and handicraft.
Source: ANI
