In a move to safeguard the deteriorating Indian handloom sector the district administration of Tamil Nadu has issued a notice to powerloom owners for not producing certain handloom items and states that they may face penal actions. This move has been taken in the backdrop of enforced act of Handlooms Reservation of Articles for Production Act, 1985 Handloom. According to the act, there are 11 items reserved for handloom production which include sari, dhoti, towel, gamcha and angvastram, lungi, bedsheet, bedcover, jamakkalam durry, dress material, barrack blankets, kambal or kamblies, shawl, muffler, pankhi, woollen tweed, chaddar and mekhala. Powerloom owners if found producing the above mentioned items may face imprisonment up to 6 years or imposition of a fine of Rs. 5,000.
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Government of India has set up a handloom enforcement wing in each district for the effective implementation and monitoring of the aforementioned act. There is a dire need to differentiate the pace of development between handloom and powerloom sector. Handloom has lagged behind while powerloom industry in India with ‘pro’-policies have been prevalent since many decades.
Government has celebrated the National Handloom Day on 7th of August 2015 and has pledged to promote Handloom as a brand of India. It has also decided to confer handloom marks to handloom made products and market them extensively promoting national identity with uniqueness of Handloom Crafts of India. These steps are in consonance with the policies made in promoting the handloom sector which is among the largest after agriculture. The varied crafts distributed in the nooks and corners of India makes India pride and distinguishes it from the rest of the world.
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