Parliament Question: Status of Handloom and Handicraft Cluster in Tamil Nadu

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5210 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.03.2026 STATUS OF HANDLOOM AND HANDICRAFT CLUSTER IN TAMIL NADU 5210. SHRI MANI A: Will the Minister of TEXTILES वस्त्र मंत्री be pleased to state : (a) whether the Government has undertaken any assessment of the status of handloom and handicraft clusters in Tamil Nadu, particularly in Dharmapuri district and if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of the schemes being implemented in Tamil Nadu for handloom weavers and handicraft artisans relating to design development, raw material support, loom upgradation and marketing assistance; (c) whether any district-specific study has been conducted in Dharmapuri to identify gaps in infrastructure, common facility centres, training and institutional procurement support and if so, the details thereof; (d) the steps taken to link artisans from Dharmapuri with national exhibitions, buyer-seller meets, e- commerce portals and export promotion councils; and (e) whether the Government proposes any focused cluster development or revival package for strengthening the textile-based cottage industries in Dharmapuri district and if so, the details thereof? उत्तर ANSWER वस्त्र मत्रं ी (श्री गिरििाज स हं ) MINISTER OF TEXTILES (SHRI GIRIRAJ SINGH) (a): Ministry of Textiles provides financial assistance to identified handloom & handicraft clusters across the country including Tamil Nadu State. Financial assistance of Rs.1713.31 lakh has been provided for the development of 34 clusters in Tamil Nadu State under National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP) during 2021-22 to 2025-26 (as on 28.02.2026) which are under implementation. (b) & (c): The Government of India, Ministry of Textiles is implementing following schemes for the development of handloom and handicraft sectors across the country, including Tamil Nadu State: 1. National Handloom Development Programme; 2. Raw Material Supply Scheme; 3. National Handicraft Development Programme; 4. Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme; Under the above schemes, financial assistance is provided for raw materials, purchase of upgraded looms, accessories and toolkits, design innovation, product diversification, infrastructure development, marketing of handloom and handicraft products in domestic and overseas markets, loans at concessional rates, etc.(d): To provide the marketing platforms to the handloom and handicraft agencies/weavers/artisans and to sell their products directly to the customers, expos are organised across the country including participation in various crafts melas & Dilli Haat programme etc. In addition, an e-commerce portal (https://www.indiahandmade.com/) has already been launched to support the handloom & handicraft sector for online marketing of handmade products. For export promotion of handlooms/handicrafts, participation of handloom exporters in various International marketing events/fairs India International Trade Fair, Buyer Seller Meet, Reverse Buyer Seller Meet, Big Ticket events, Bharat Tex, are organized through Handloom Export Promotion Council/ Export Promotion Council Handicrafts. (e): Under the Cluster Development Programme (CDP), a component of National Handloom Development Programme(NHDP), need based financial support is provided through various interventions like upgraded looms & accessories, construction of worksheds, solar lighting units, product & design development etc., across the country including Tamil Nadu State. Under CDP, handloom clusters are identified by the State Government based on the requirement of handloom workers and accordingly, proposals are submitted to Government of India for consideration. ****