National Handloom Day 2022: History, significance and all you need to know

National Handloom Day is celebrated annually on 7 August, the very same day that the Swadeshi Movement was started in 1905. This day is observed annually to create awareness among the public about the handloom industry and the role played by it in India's socio-economic development. The day highlights how the handloom industry is a part of our heritage and empowers people who are working in this sector. The majority of the weavers in this industry are women, so the day becomes an important opportunity to give recognition and appreciation to them.

History:

In July 2015, the Union government decided to celebrate 7 August as National Handloom Day. The day is commemorated to make the people aware about the importance of the handloom industry. The first National Handloom Day was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centenary Hall of Madras University in Chennai on 7 August 2015.

About the Swadeshi Movement:

The Swadeshi movement started in Calcutta Town Hall as a way of protesting against the Partition of Bengal by the British Government. The main aim of this movement was to boycott products manufactured in foreign lands and to promote Swadeshi goods.

To strengthen the use of Swadeshi goods, Mahatma Gandhi burnt 1,50,000 English clothes at the Elphinstone Mill Compound in Mumbai on 31 July 1921. Gandhiji also promoted Khadi spinning mills all over the country and called Khadi spinners 'freedom fighters'.

Significance:

The handloom sector is representative of our country’s rich and varied cultural heritage. It is one of the most important sources of livelihood in rural and semi-rural areas of our country. The sector directly contributes towards women’s empowerment with about 70 percent of the weavers and allied workers being female. The handloom production processes are environment friendly, with minimum requirement of capital and power, and provide flexibility to meet changes of the dynamic fashion industry.

The Government has launched a number of schemes to help handloom communities- the Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme (HWCWS), National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP), Yarn Supply Scheme (YSS), and the Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS).

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