New Delhi: The Centre of Excellence for Handloom Technology (CoE-HT) was inaugurated by Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh at IIT Delhi, marking a significant milestone in the Government’s efforts to modernise India’s handloom sector through technology, innovation and research.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Singh said that the Centre of Excellence represents the Government’s vision of combining India’s rich weaving heritage with cutting-edge technologies to create a future-ready handloom ecosystem. He emphasised that innovation, digital technologies, sustainability and entrepreneurship will play a crucial role in improving productivity, enhancing market access and ensuring better livelihoods for handloom weavers.
Smt. Neelam Shami Rao underlined the need for stronger collaboration between academia, industry and government institutions to develop practical technological solutions for the handloom sector.
Dr. M. Beena stated that the Centre would become a catalyst for research, knowledge sharing, skill development and innovation, creating new opportunities for weavers, designers, entrepreneurs and startups across the handloom value chain.
During the event, flagship initiatives of the Centre were launched:
- Handloom e-Vidya, a comprehensive digital learning and knowledge platform for capacity building across the handloom ecosystem.
- HandloomX, an accelerator and incubation platform supporting startups and innovators working across the Ministry’s 5F value chain.
- Threads of Valour, a sustainability initiative that transforms recycled defence textiles into premium handloom fabrics through scientific recycling and skilled craftsmanship.
The Centre of Excellence will undertake research in handloom modernisation, ergonomics, artificial intelligence, sustainability, functional innovation and digital technologies. It will also develop a national repository of its knowledge, create AI-enabled tools, facilitate technology transfer, support startups and train at least 1,000 weavers, faculty members and handloom professionals over the next five years.
The establishment of the Centre equips the sector with advanced technologies, research capabilities and innovation-led solutions. By bringing together academia, industry, startups and handloom institutions. It is expected to strengthen the entire handloom ecosystem and contribute towards making Indian handloom globally competitive.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Smt. Neelam Shami Rao, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles; Dr. M. Beena, Development Commissioner (Handlooms); Smt. Amrit Raj, Development Commissioner (Handicrafts); Prof. Arvind K. Nema, Director-in-charge, IIT Delhi, IIT Delhi; Prof. Ashwini Agrawal, Dean, IITD; senior officials of the Ministry of Textiles, faculty members, researchers, startup founders, representatives of the handloom industry and weavers from across the country.
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