BHUBANESWAR: Despite having finest designs and tremendous market potential, bottlenecks such as low productivity, decentralised production and lack of aggressive marketing strategies have come in the way of the State’s handloom sector. This notwithstanding, the handloom sector has the largest rural self-employment potential next to agriculture in the State. Odisha is home to around 1.30 lakh artisans and two lakh weavers. To give a boost to the sector and address the shortcomings, the State Government has initiated a series of special measures. The Government is helping the sector by developing clusters, through group approach and by providing financial and infrastructure assistance among others. As per the State Plan for Promotion of Handloom Sector, the Textile and Handloom Department has started providing 100 per cent infrastructure assistance and 90 per cent financial aid for technological interventions to the weavers. The Government has also implemented a Centrally-sponsored scheme __ Integrated Handloom Development Scheme. It aims at facilitating sustainable development of handloom weavers, located in identified handloom clusters, into a cohesive, self- managing and competitive group. Under the Scheme, the Department has taken up cluster development approach that focuses on formation of weavers’ groups as a visible entity so that the groups become self-sustainable. Of the 52 clusters identified in the country in the last three years, the Centre has approved the highest number of 35 clusters in the State. Each cluster covers 300 to 500 handlooms. Another initiative under the Scheme is group approach to help handloom weavers who are not covered by clusters. The Centre has so far recognised 91 such groups in the State. Sources said steps are being taken to set up a Sambalpuri Ikat Handloom Park in Bargarh district which has the biggest handloom cluster in the State. The park is reportedly coming up on Bijepur-Barpali route and as many as 100 stakeholders, mostly comprising master weavers, have joined hands for the project. This would help in capacity building of the weavers and also teach weaving to the people of non-weaver communities. “This apart, we have a design studio coming up near SIDAC complex at Gandamunda here and efforts are also on to set up a handloom and handicraft museum in the City,” said Director of Textiles B C Mohapatra while talking to this paper.
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