NAHARLAGUN, 11 May: The union Textile Ministry’s Handloom Development Commissioner Dr M Beena assured the Arunachal Pradesh government that the ministry would extend support to diversify the handloom products of the state and make them more export-oriented.
Dr Beena gave the assurance during a meeting with state government officials on the ongoing SCDP schemes under the National Handloom Development Programme on Friday.
The central government official was on a two-day visit to the state to explore the feasibility of setting up a ‘handloom park’ in Poma village in Papum Pare district.
During the meeting, she presented her vision of making Arunachal “a handloom state, leveraging its rich cultural heritage and traditional weaving skills.”
Earlier in the day, Dr Beena visited the Borum handloom cluster and interacted with the weavers.
On 9 May, she visited the proposed site for the handloom park in Poma village and assessed the feasibility of the location to serve as a hub for promoting the local handloom industry and meeting the needs of the surrounding communities.
The visit was also aimed at exploring ways to strengthen the handloom industry in Arunachal and providing necessary support to the weavers and artisans of the state.
During her visit, Dr Beena was accompanied by Assam’s Guwahati-based WSC (EZ) Director S Bandyopadhyay, Aruna-chal’s Textile & Handicrafts Director Haj Dodung, Assam’s Guwahati-based regional NHDC in-charge Y Shanti Kumar Singh, and other senior government officers from the WSC, the NHDC and the Arunachal government. (DIPR)