Lucknow: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that around 30 lakh people in Uttar Pradesh are earning their livelihood through handloom and powerloom sectors and the govt has provided electricity-related benefits worth Rs 109 crore to more than 40,000 artisans.The CM stressed the need to connect handloom products with global markets through design, technology, packaging and marketing.Highlighting the BJP govt’s steps to develop the sector, the CM said that handloom sector now has 70% women and Bhadohi carpets have been used in the new parliament building.Speaking at National Handloom Day function at Lok Bhavan, he called for a bigger market for state’s handloom and handicraft products and urged govt departments and consumers to increase the use of handloom.“Around 30 lakh people in UP have handloom and powerloom sector as their source of livelihood. Of these, around 2.5 lakh families, or 14-15 lakh people, are directly dependent on handloom,” he said.“The next step is to connect traditional skills with changing market demand through better design, technology, packaging and marketing. This is the time of competition. We will be able to sustain ourselves in this healthy competition only when we prepare designs and textiles according to the time and demand,” Yogi said.He accused the previous SP govt of lacking vision for development and failing to ensure security which ended up hurting the prospects of artisans and traders engaged in handloom and handicraft sector.Yogi said the previous SP govt had “no interest in jobs or development” and that available resources were “looted by one family”.Without naming Akhilesh Yadav but referring to him as ‘Babua’, Yogi said: “Some remain children throughout their lives. ‘Babua’ would wake up at noon, get ready by 2pm, head to the gym by 5pm, and gatherings would begin after 7pm. Their connect with the country and the world would end there.”He alleged that before 2017, UP suffered from poor law and order, inadequate electricity supply and poor road connectivity.“There was no security for daughters, traders, artisans or craftsmen. Markets remained deserted due to frequent riots and curfews, directly affecting handloom workers, artisans, students and women,” he said.“In contrast, more than 70% of workers in handloom sector are now women. The sector has emerged as the source of livelihood for rural households,” Yogi said.The CM urged govt departments to procure more handloom products and said their use in hospitals, hotels, guest houses and other establishments could create a steady institutional market for weavers.He also appealed to people to gift locally made products during festivals and other occasions.“The govt provided Rs 109 crore in electricity-related benefits to more than 40,000 artisans associated with handloom last year. The support was intended to help artisans improve productivity while enabling them to compete in wider markets,” he said.“Bhadohi’s carpet industry is an example of the potential of local craft. Carpet cluster, which declined before 2017, is now exporting products worth hundreds of crores of rupees. Bhadohi carpets have also been used in the new parliament building,” he said.Yogi said the state was building infrastructure to strengthen the sector, including a 1,000-acre PM MITRA Park in Lucknow and a trade facilitation centre in Varanasi.The govt is also working towards setting up five textile parks named after Sant Kabir in the state.“The ‘One District, One Product’ initiative has helped provide branding and market access to local products. Govt is now focusing on technology, design and packaging,” he said.Yogi asked artisans to make use of training and toolkits available through Vishwakarma Shram Samman and PM Vishwakarma schemes.He also highlighted the role of education in modernising the sector, saying 450 students received scholarships last year through programmes linked to the Varanasi facilitation centre, where they are trained in design, technology and packaging.Yogi presented Sant Kabir State Handloom Awards to weavers and distributed cheques to beneficiaries under various schemes. An exhibition showcasing handloom products was also organised, while MoUs were exchanged with major buyers.Linking the occasion to the freedom movement, Yogi said that Aug 7, 1905, marked an important turning point when the Swadeshi movement gained momentum. He said National Handloom Day, instituted on the date by the Centre, was also a recognition of the millions of weavers, artisans and entrepreneurs associated with the sector.
