New Delhi [India], August 7 (ANI): The Ministry of Textiles will celebrate 7th National Handloom Day on Saturday. On this day, the handloom weaving community is honoured and the contribution of this sector in the socio-economic development of this country is highlighted.

The resolve to protect our handloom heritage and to empower the handloom weavers and workers with greater opportunities is reaffirmed, informed the official release by the Union Ministry. This year, the Ministry of Textiles will organize a function to celebrate the Day at Convention Centre, The Ashok, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.

The event will be presided over by the Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Textiles and Railways Darshana Jardosh will be Guest of Honour. Secretary Textiles, UP Singh will also participate in the event.

In the 75th year of independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged all of us as a nation to buy Indian Handloom products and showcase their grandeur by associating with MyHandloomMyPride.

A symbol of our country's rich and varied cultural heritage, Handloom is an important sector providing livelihood in rural and semi-rural parts of our country. It is a sector that directly addresses women's empowerment with over 70 per cent of all weavers and allied workers being female. One of the defining movements in our struggle for freedom was Swadeshi Movement.

Launched on August 7, 1905, the movement encouraged indigenous industries and the spirit of Swadeshi, which included handloom weavers as well. In 2015, the Government of India decided to designate August 7 every year, as National Handloom Day (NHD). The first NHD was inaugurated on August 7, 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai.

Functions celebrating NHD have since been held at Varanasi, Guwahati, Jaipur and Bhubaneshwar. The Government of India endeavours to ensure sustainable development of the handloom sector thereby empowering our handloom weavers and workers financially and instilling pride in their exquisite craftsmanship.

Three handloom craft villages at Kovalam village in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala; Mohpara village in Golaghat, Assam and Kanihama village in Budgam, Srinagar are being set up by the Ministry of Textiles in collaboration with the respective State governments.

The aim behind setting up the craft villages at these places is to provide additional attraction for domestic and international tourists and promote the well-known HandloomHandicraft Products of the region.

On the clarion call of the Prime Minister, National level - "My Handloom My Pride Expo" is being organized at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi from 1st August to 15th August 2021 by National Handloom Development Corporation (NHDC) to celebrate the 7th National Handloom Day.

Handloom Producer Companies and weavers are showcasing and displaying handloom products from handloom Clusters/pockets from across the country for sale. 125 plus handloom agencies/ national awardees belonging to 22 states are participating in the Expo. The exhibition will be open to the public from 11 am to 8 pm for fifteen days upto August 15, 2021, and more than 10,000 people are expected to visit the exhibition. (ANI)