SAMBALPUR: In a first, fabrics produced in an Odisha jail have received the ‘Handloom Mark’ certificate from Ministry of Textiles.
The Sambalpur Circle Jail has been awarded the ‘Handloom Mark’ from the Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Government of India, for cotton fabrics produced by its inmates.
The tag can not only popularise the products but also serve as a guarantee as genuinely hand woven. Project Director of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Sukanta Tripathy and Assistant Director of ORMAS Srimanta Hota handed over the Handloom Mark certificate to Superintendent of Sambalpur Circle Jail, Amiya Pattnaik on Friday afternoon.
There are 10 looms in the jail and the inmates have been producing cotton towels, bedsheets, handkerchiefs and shirting.
These products are marketed through a stall in jail.
This apart, uniforms for the inmates are tailored from the handwoven fabrics produced by the inmates. Hota said the handwoven fabrics that have export potential, can now be sold at different exhibitions and ORMAS can facilitate their marketing.
“We have decided to provide training to the inmates for producing other handwoven products like sarees, dupattas and apparels.
The jail will be provided more looms, new machines like Jacquard and Dobby looms for designing purpose. The specialised training will help the prisoners earn a livelihood from the skill learnt during the conviction period, after serving their jail term”, he said.
‘Handloom Mark’ for Sambalpur jail fabrics
Pattnaik said, “The handloom activities make a business of ` five lakh annually and we keep a profit margin of 5 per cent on the handwoven products.” He expressed that the Handloom Mark will certainly generate better revenue as it will expand the market reach of the fabrics to the national as well as international market.
The Handloom Mark aims at promoting the brand of handlooms and develops a niche market for the handloom textiles with distinct identity.
It also serves as a guarantee for the buyer that the product being purchased is genuinely hand woven. Besides, it provides a distinctive identity to the product or the manufacturer distinguishing it from competition and connecting it with customers.