Parliament Question: Impact of cheap imports on handloom industry

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TEXTILES RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO-*227 ANSWERED ON- 13/03/2026 IMPACT OF CHEAP IMPORTS ON HANDLOOM INDUSTRY *227. SHRI JAVED ALI KHAN: Will the Minister of TEXTILES be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is aware that handloom industry in the country, particularly Uttar Pradesh, is on the verge of collapse due to cheap imports of items produced by handloom industries from countries like China, Bangladesh and Vietnam; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether Government will implement the Handloom (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985 strictly to save handloom industry and handloom weavers in the country; and (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF TEXTILES (SHRI GIRIRAJ SINGH) (a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.Statement referred to in reply to part (a) to (d) of the Rajya Sabha Starred Question No. *227 for answer on 13.03.2026. (a) & (b): The Government is implementing various schemes and taking measures to support handloom weavers, promote domestic production and strengthen the sector. In this context, handloom exports from Uttar Pradesh stood at Rs 281.50 Crore in 2024-25, registering a growth of about 2% (CAGR) from Rs 270.4 Crore in 2022-23, while India’s imports of handloom products have remained nominal, with an average of about Rs 14.1 Crore over the last three years, indicating limited impact of imports on the domestic handloom industry. (c) & (d): The Government of India, Ministry of Textiles is implementing the Handlooms (Reservation of articles for Production) Act, 1985 for protection of handloom weavers from production of reserved articles under the ibid Act on power looms through various measures including powerloom inspections. The details of enforcement action taken in the country in last 03 years and current Financial Year are as under: - S. No. Years Total No. of Powerloom No. of case Filed Inspected 01. 2025-26 (till Feb 2026) 2,84,482 53 02. 2024-25 3,97,777 57 03. 2023-24 3,84,860 98 04. 2022-23 1,88,642 53 ****