HYDERABAD: On the occasion of National Handloom Day, the State government signed three MoUS with institutions and international bodies in a bid to promote the handloom industry and its related activities. An app, ‘Aalambana’ was also launched to provide skills training, create market linkages and so on for weavers.
Firstly, the Department of Handlooms and Textiles under the State’s Industries department signed an MoU with Indian School of Business in the presence of IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao during the National Handloom Day virtual celebrations. The MoU aims to evaluate the implementation and performance of the state-run policies for the weaving community in Telangana.
Secondly, the Department of Handlooms and Textiles and Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) virtually exchanged an MoU at the National Handloom Day Virtual Celebrations. The MoU enables both institutions to conduct applied research on development of sustainable textile yarn dyeing, which can reduce the impact of dyeing on weavers and the environment.
‘Sustainable’ tie-and-dye
Speaking on the occasion, CSIR-IICT director Dr. S Chandrasekhar conveyed that two scientists from CSIR-IICT were working with the handloom weaver community for development of semi-automatic yarn dyeing devices to perform ‘tie-and-dye’ technique in a sustainable manner to minimise the exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Lastly, another MoU was signed with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The signatories intend to support weavers in the restoration of livelihoods.
During this signing, Rama Rao launched the Aalambana app, developed in partnership with the State government, UNDP and Abhihaara to provide skills training, and create market linkages and new opportunities for weavers.
Aalambana app to help weavers in State
On National Handloom Day, IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao launched the Aalambana app, developed to provide skills training, and create market linkages and new business opportunities for weavers in the State