HAND LOOM

Handloom Textiles constitute a timeless facet of the rich cultural Heritage of India. As an
economic activity, the handloom sector occupies a place second only to agriculture in
providing livelihood to the people. It is estimated that handloom industry provides
employment to 65 lakh workforce directly and indirectly and there are about 35 lakh looms
spread all over India.
The production of handloom fabrics is estimated to be approximately 6947 million sq. mtrs.
during 2007-08 and the contribution of handloom to the total cloth/textile production,
comprising Handloom, Mill and Powerloom sectors during the year 2007-08 is estimated to
be about 16%.
A handloom is a loom that is used to weave cloth without the use of any electricity. Hand
weaving is done on pit looms or frame looms generally located in weavers homes. Weaving
is primarily the interlacing of two sets of yarn the warp (length) and the weft (width). The
equipment that facilitates this interlacing is the loom. A Short Story about Handloom...

ADVANTAGES OF HANDLOOM COTTON

The handloom experience (soft, comfortable and durable) is due to the human handling of the
yarn in the weaving process. As a result, yarn and the fabric are much less stressed and
damaged. Hand woven cotton is known for its breathability as compared to mill made cotton.
This implies that it allows more air penetration making it cooler, softer and more absorbent. It
keeps you cooler in summers and warm in winters.

INDIA HANDLOOM BRAND (IHB)

The India Handloom Brand (IHB) was launched by the Honble Prime Minister of India on
the occasion of first handloom day on 07.08.15 to endorse the quality of the products in terms
of raw material, processing, weaving and other parameters besides social and environmental
compliances for earning the trust of the customers. The India Handloom brand would be
given only to high quality defect free authentic handloom products for catering to the needs
of those consumers who are looking for niche handmade products. The India Handloom

Brand is aimed at generating a special market space and increased earnings to the weavers.
Thus the concept of India Handloom is to brand the handloom products, which are
exclusively catering to the quality, need of the socio-environmentally conscious consumer.
1. Balarampuram Cotton Saree
2. Banaras Brocade Silk Saree
3. Banarasi Butidar Silk Saree
4. Baluchari Silk Saree
5. Jamdani Cotton Saree
6. Kota Doria Saree
7. Salem Silk Dhoti
8. Tanchoi Silk saree
9. Banarasi Cutwork Fabric
10. Chanderi Saree
11. Dhaniakhali Cotton Saree
12. Kancheepuram Silk Saree
13. Karvati Silk Saree
14. Kullu Shawl
15. Kullu Stole
16. Maheswari Saree
17. Pochhampally Ikat Dress Material
18. Pochhampally Ikat Saree
19. Shantipuri Cotton Saree
20. Uppada Jamdani Silk Saree
21. Venkatgiri Cotton Saree

22. Mangalgiri Saree

23. Tweed
24. Tussar Silk Dress Material

HANDLOOM MARK SCHEME

Dr. Manmohan Singh, Honourable Prime Minister of India has launched the Handloom Mark
Scheme on 28.06.2006. The basic objective of the Scheme is to brand our handloom products
and secure a premium position for them in Domestic as well as International market. The
Scheme is promoted by Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Government of India and
Textiles Committee is nominated as the Implementation Agency.
The Handloom Mark is a symbol of rich legacy and tradition of Indian Handloom textiles.
The Mark is aimed to promote the brand of handlooms and develop a niche market for the
handloom textiles with distinct identity. The Mark is also a symbol of social cause to promote
the livelihood, welfare and growth of more than 6.5 million weavers. This will enable the age
old traditional handloom industry to cherish their skills / craftsmanship and sustain in the
competitive market.
Handloom Mark is the Government of India's initiative to provide a collective identity to the
handloom products in India and can be used not only for popularizing the hand woven
products but can also serve as a guarantee for the buyer that the product being purchased is
genuinely hand woven from India. The Handloom Mark would, therefore be a hallmark of
passionate creative work that defines the product with clarity, distinguishes it from
competition and connecting it with customers. To support the above features, the Handloom
Mark is specially developed with the logo and unique coding.
In pace with the changing modes of marketing, Handloom mark scheme is also projected for
publicity on the Internet. An independent websitewww.handloommark.gov.in is developed to
cater to the consumers in the country as well as overseas.

INDIA HANDLOOM
India has a long tradition of excellence in making high quality handloom products with
extraordinary skills and craftsmanship, which are unparalleled in the world. The intricate
workmanship of the handlooms provides this segment a unique identity of its own. This
inherent strength of Indian handloom products is required to be promoted with new designs,
colour combinations and defect free weaving for meeting the need of the market.

The handloom production meets the twin objectives of green production and employment
creation especially in the rural India. This augurs well with the Honble PMs inclusive
growth agenda of SABKA SATH, SABKA VIKAS. In order to provide a better return of
the handloom products, e- Commerce has been the call of the day and it reduces the
transaction cost besides making better margins to the weavers.
The India Handloom brand would be evolved based on high quality defect free, socially
and environmentally compliant product for catering to the needs of the high-end consumers
looking for niche handmade products. The scheme would initially be made voluntary. The
producers would be encouraged to maintain the quality of the product, which will be
specified. All the products under the brand should have the benchmarked quality for the raw
material, the processing as well as for packing and labeling besides proving the origin from
the hand-woven sector.
The stakeholders comprise of Weavers, Master Weavers, Primary Co-operative Societies,
Apex Handloom Societies, Retailers and Exporters are directly involved in the production
and marketing of their produce in the domestic as well as in the export market.

OBJECTIVES OF THE SCHEME

The objectives will be to promote a premium brand with stress on quality on the following:
Ensure quality in designing and weaving and defect free product for safeguarding
interest of the buyers.
Ensure compliance with relevant social and environmental laws
Conserve, promote culture and tradition relating to handlooms.
Promote production of high-end products, and thereby increase wage earning of the
weavers substantially; and,
Facilitate marketing of handloom products through e-commerce.
Operational Procedure
The value added handloom products will be branded under India Handloom
umbrella to differentiate as brand India product and will be given necessary visibility
so as to attract the attention of the customers in India and abroad. An institutional
mechanism comprising of Textiles Committee (TC) and Weavers Service Centres

(WSCs) will be set up to implement the initiative. The operational procedure involves
the following activities:
Quality maintenance
Registration process
Registration certificates /Logo
Creation of the brand through packaging materials
Awareness and Publicity campaign
Supply of Packing Materials

POWERLOOM
A power loom is a mechanised loom powered by a line shaft, and was one of the key
developments in the industrialization of weavingduring the early Industrial Revolution. The
first power loom was designed in 1784 by Edmund Cartwright and first built in 1785. It was
refined over the next 47 years until a design by Kenworthy and Bullough made the operation
completely automatic.
By 1850 there were 260,000 in operation in England. Fifty years later came the Northrop
Loom that would replenish the shuttle when it was empty and this replaced the Lancashire
loom.

POWERLOOM SECTOR IN INDIA

INTRODUCTION:
The decentralised powerloom sector, which has a share of nearly 55% in the total cloth
produced in the country, plays a very vital role in the employment generation as well as
overall availability of cloth in the country. This figure is excluding the cloth produced by
non-SSI weaving and hosiery/knitting units. The number of powerlooms have grown from a
level of 6.38 lakhs in the year 1986 to more than 15 lakhs in 1997. This rise can, to a large
extent, be attributed to the cost advantage the powerloom fabric enjoys vis--vis the mill
fabric. The decentralised powerloom sector also employs about 77 lakh persons. The Statewise figures of the number of registered powerloom and the estimated number of workers
employed
by
them
are
enclosed
in
Annexure-I.

The sector-wise production of cloth in the country during the last five years have been as
under:

Year

Mill
Sector

Powerloom
Sector

Handloom
Sector

Hosiery
Sector

Khaki,
Wool
& Silk

Total

Annual
GrowthRate(%)

(All
Sectors)

199394

1990
(7.1%)

15994
(57.
3%)

5851
(20.
9%)

3637
(13.
0%)

426
(1.5%)

27898

8.68

199495

2271
(7.9%)

15976
(55.
8%)

6180
(21.
6%)

3748
(13.
1%)

431
(1.5%)

28606

2.48

199596

2019
(6.3%)

17201
(53.
9%)

7202
(22.
5%)

5058
(15.
7%)

431
(1.3%)

31891

10.30

199697

1957
(5.6%)

19352
(55.
6%)

7456
(21.
4%)

5533
(15 .
8%)

515
(1.4%)

34813

8.39

199798

1963
(5.3%)

20303
(55.
3%)

7862
(21.
4%)

6058
(16.
5%)

515
(1.4%)

36701

5.14

(The figures in bracket indicate the percentage share of each sector to the total cloth
production)

GROWTH IN THE POWERLOOM SECTOR

The estimated number of powerlooms in the country at various stages till 31.5.1998 is as
below:
Year
1986(upto 31.3.86)
1990
1991
1992
1993

No. of Powerlooms
6,38,764
10,44,472
11,34,996
12,00,111
12,39,268

1994
1995
1996
1997
1998

13,14,003
13,65,284
14,11,903
15,23,336
15,58,327

The fast growth of the decentralised powerloom sector has been due to certain advantages
which it has enjoyed, viz.low overheads, low of working capital requirement etc. vis--vis the
composite mills. Traditionally, the mills and the powerloom sector have been viewed as
antithetical to each other. In fact, over the past two decades, while there has been a steady fall
in the production by the mill sector, there has been a rapid proliferation in the number of units
in the powerloom sector during the same period resulting in an increase in its production.

PRODUCTION PATTERN IN POWERLOOM SECTOR

The production pattern of some of the important powerloom centres in the country is as
follows:
Name of Powerloom
Centre

Type of Fabrics Produced

Estimated number
of looms

Surat

Nylon, Polyester/Viscose
Filament Sarees, Dress
material & shirting.

3,50,000

Ahmedabad

Sheeting, Long cloth Poplin

from cotton and Polyester/
Cotton

30,000

Ichalkaranji

Cotton dhoti, cambric and

Poplin

55,000

Malegaon

Cotton grey sarees, poplin

Cambric, Polyester/cotton
Lungis

60,000

Sholapur

Turkish towels/ cotton

Sheeting

55,000

Bhiwandi

Mulls, cambric, dress

Material, polyester shirting
Viscose saree material/
Polyester viscose suitings

4,50,000

Bhilwara

Polyester/Viscose suiting/
Shirting and cotton sheeting

40,000

Burhanpur

Cotton/grey fabric suitings

Poplin, cotton, dhotis/
Polyester Sarees

40,000

Salem/Erode

Cotton grey suiting,dyed/

Checked fabrics mainly
From cotton yarn

Kanpur

Dyed and heavy canvas

Dosuti

Amritsar

Blankets, shawls,lohis
Twills.

1,75,000

20,000

35,000

EXPORTS BY POWERLOOM SECTOR:

Export of textiles to quota countries is governed, at present, under the Agreement on Textiles
& Clothing (ATC) provisions. In order to achieve maximum utilisation of the available export
quotas, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India issues the notification for each quota every
year and distributes the annual quota level under different segments. Powerloom Exports
Entitlement (PEE) Quota System is one of the systems of textile export quotas, such as Past
Performance Entitlement (PPE), Manufacturers Exporters Entitlement (MEE), Ready Goods
Exports Entitlement (RGE), Non Quota Exports Entitlement (NQE) etc. PEE Quota system
was first introduced in 1992 for export by the powerloom holders under decentralised sector
with re4servation of 3% of annual export quota levels. The present criteria for allotment of
PEE quota is the holding of minimum 12 powerloom by the applicant by himself and his
family members in the same villages, town or city. With the increased demand for higher
reservation of PEE Quota from the powerloom sector, the Government further increased the
percentage share for allocation of quota under this segment to 10% of the annual level from
1996 onwards. Guidelines for deciding the eligibility of PEE Quota are issued by the Office
of the Textile Commissioner every year. What is worth mentioning here is that export
performance of PEE Quota exporter is counted in the following year toward Past
Performance Entitlement (PPE) and he can again apply for PEE Quota. The incremental
quota entitlement help the small powerloom exporters to build up larger quota entitlements
and the profits therefore will help them modernise their units.

EXISTING TECHNOLOGY LEVEL IN POWERLOOMS

Inspite of the basic strength, i.e. having a strong fibre and production base, the Indian Textile
industry has not been able to increase its share in the global market for textiles and clothing
beyond 2.5%. This is mainly due to outdated technology that is used primarily in the weaving
and processing sectors. The woeful lack of modernisation is most visible in the powerloom
sector, which accounts for a major portion of cloth produced in the country. Most of the
looms installed in the country are low speed shuttle looms. While India may boast of the
largest loomage in the world, the low speed, lack of quality control, frequent breakdowns and
idle loomage do not permit high capacity utilisation and production of defect-free quality
fabric. Most of the mills have outlived their utility and normal life. Most of the looms in the
country that come under the powerloom sector are more than 20 years old and more than 75%
of those are conventional type without any extra attachment such as weft stop motion, warp
stop motion, weft pick motion, weft reeler etc. required for producing fault-free fabric at
higher efficiency.

POWERLOOM SERVICE CENTRES

During the 7th Five Year Plan period the government had initiated a scheme of setting up
PSCs with the objective of imparting practical training and skill to powerloom weavers in the
various aspects of loom working; disseminate knowledge and techniques to the powerloom
weavers; provide testing facilities to the powerloom sector and also act as technical
consultant to powerloom industry. As on date, there are 44 PSCs established in various parts
of the country.
In the wake of the change in the global scenario and increasing competition in the export
market, the powerloom industry makes new demands on the PSCs, ranging from clarification
on EXIM policy to upgradation of the technical know-how. Also the testing facilities in these
centres have not been able to keep pace with the changing times. Thu8s, the government has
decided to upgrade these centres with the intention of giving comprehensive test service
support to the powerloom industry.

PSCS UPGRADED DURING 1996-97

Name of the PSC/Organisation

Amount spent in Rs in lakhs

NITRA-PSC PANIPAT

115

NITRA-PSC BHILWARA

179

BTRA-PSC ICHALKARANJI

170.26

SITRA-PSC SALEM

78.12

PSCS TO BE UPGRADED DURING1998-99

Name of the PSC/Organisation

Amount to be spent in Rs in lakhs

SASMIRA-PSC BHIWANDI,
MAHARASHTRA

100

NITRA-PSC MEERUT,UP

100

SIRA-PSC DODBALLAPUR,
KARNATKA

100

GROUP INSURANCE SCHEME FOR POWERLOOM WORKERS:

Government of India has introduced a Group Insurance Scheme for Powerloom workers in
association with the Life Insurance Croporation of India since 1992-93. The Scheme is
administered as per guidelines given below. Subject to satisfactory performance, the scheme
is expected to continue during the 9th Five Year Plan period.

ELIGIBILITY
All powerloom workers who are aged between 18 to 60 years and those who have worked,
during the year shall be eligible for Insurance. For the purpose of regular work, a waver who
has earned atleast minimum average pay of Rs. 700/- per month during a year can join the
scheme.

PREMIUM PAYABLE
The annual premium shall be shared equally by the Central Government, State Governments
and powerloom worker. For an insurance coverage of Rs. 10,000/- annual premium is Rs.
120/-. Fun is contribution of Government of India would be channelised through the State
Government on reimbursement basis.

BENEFITS
On death of a member, the sum assured of Rs. 10,000/- under the policy shall become
payable, provided the member is a powerloom worker as defined for the purpose. In

addition to the basic sum assured, the amount accumulated in the running account
would become payable with interest at the rate of 11% per annum.On reaching the
terminal date or being disqualified as a powerloom worker, the accumulation in the
running account only would become payable with interest at the rate of 11% per
annum.
In case of death due to accident, an amount of Rs. 20,000/- will be paid to the family
of the member in addition to the accumulated amount in the members running
account, payable with interest at the rate of 11% per annum.

WORKSHED-CUM-HOUSING SCHEME FOR POWERLOOM

WORKERS
The fifteen lakh plus powerlooms installed in the country employ, directly or indirectly, over
75 lakh workers. Powerloom sector, spread all over the country has tiny units but mostly in
the South and the West. Powerloom weaving, by and large, is a family affair. The working
environment and living conditions of many of these powerloom workers is pathetic. They
often do not have proper housing, sanitation, water supply and electricity and proper working
environment.
Government of India has formulated a scheme called `Workshed-cum-Housing Scheme for
powerloom weavers. It is seen that a majority of the looms (about 14.93 lakhs) are
established in nine State, viz. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab.
Therefore, it is felt that to begin with, the scheme can be taken up for first two years of the
9th Five Year Plan period in these nine States. Under the scheme, it has been suggested that
20% may be the contribution of the beneficiaries and the remaining should be the loan
component. In case the concerned State Government also shows interest in the scheme, their
participation will also be incorporated so that the loan component for the weaver comes to
that extent. HUDCO is proposed to be the nodal agency, giving loan at a softer rate of
interest. It is also expected that beneficiaries themselves will be involved in the process of
planning and construction of the Workshed-cum-housing scheme as it will reduce the cost of
construction to some extent because personal supervision and elimination of the overall profit
element of the contractor. Besides, it will also ensure the quality of construction as the
beneficiary is the intersect party. The cost of construction of a workshed-cum-Housing is
expected to be in the range of between Rs. 65,000/- to Rs. 84,000/-. The implementation of
the scheme is proposed to be done by the office of the Textile Commissioner through its
regional offices and Powerloom Service Centres.

NEW SCHEMES BOON FOR POWERLOOM SECTOR

SURAT: Modernization and upgradation of powerloom machines in the country's man-made

fibre (MMF) hub is all set to get a major boost with the launch of the venture capital fund and
the hire-purchase pilot schemes by the central government. The schemes are aimed at
increasing the credit flow in powerloom sector.
Invitee member of All India Powerloom Board Arun Jariwala said that an umbrella trust will
be set up by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) which will be
registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to carry out activities of a
venture capital fund.
Tex-Venture Capital Fund is aimed at providing equity investment to micro and small
enterprises sector in the textile industry. The venture funding of MSE in the textile industry
will boost innovation in the industry by creation of brands, generation of intellectual property,
increased bank financing to industry etc.
There are around 6.5 lakh powerloom machines in the city weaving around 3 crore metres of
cloth per day. Around 60 per cent of the weaving units still operate on plain powerloom
machines.
"It was discussed in the recently concluded meeting of All India Powerloom Board that the
Government of India will invest 24.5 crore and that the balance amount of Rs 10.5 crore is
proposed to be raised by SIDBI under the venture capital scheme," Jariwala said.

In the hire-purchase pilot scheme, the Central government has proposed an allocation of Rs
300 crore as a separate fund component in the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme
(TUFS) in the 12{+t}{+h} Five Year Plan. A special purpose vehicle (SPV) led by a group of
weavers or the large textile manufacturer will give away hi-tech looms to small weavers on
hire-purchase basis by utilizing the fund allocation under TUFS.

President, Federation of Gujarat Weavers Association (FOSWA), Ashok Jirawala said, "Both
schemes are going to benefit the small weavers and that it will increase the credit flow in the
sector. At present, the small weavers are still operating the conventional powerloom
machines, but implementation of schemes would give an opportunity for modernization and
credit flow."

REFERENCE LINKS
http://pib.nic.in/infonug/infyr98/inf1198/i3011981.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/New-schemes-boon-for-powerloomsector/articleshow/21134485.cms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_loom
http://textilescommittee.nic.in/india-handloom

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loom
http://www.indiahandloombrand.gov.in/pages/know-your-products
https://twitter.com/indhandloom
http://www.handloommark.gov.in/
http://www.dacottonhandlooms.in/know-handloom/