Ministry of Textiles (MoT) has issued PEHCHAN cards to 30.53 lakh handicraft artisans and 30.90 lakh handloom weavers across the country under the PEHCHAN initiative since its inception.
There are 72 craft categories (including Miscellaneous Craft Categories) under which Pehchan Cards are issued to Handicraft artisans.
The details of cardholders are available on the website of Office of the Development Commissioner of Handicraft and Handloom.
The Union Minister of State for Textiles Darshana Jardosh informed in Lok Sabha that a total of 28,597 artisans have been trained through different design and skill interventions of Office of the Development Commissioner for Handicrafts.
The government is supporting the weavers with various schemes like the MUDRA loan scheme. There are more than 48,000 handicrafts artisans and handloom weavers, who are beneficiaries of MUDRA loan during the last three years (2019-2020 to 2021-2022).
Tamil Nadu is on top with 25,576 beneficiaries followed by Andhra Pradesh having 11,671 beneficiaries.
There are organisations like Indian Institute of Carpet Technology (IICT), Bhadohi and Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT), Varanasi which are working for overall development of artisans and weavers.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
