NATIONAL HANDLOOM DAY (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Economy)

Context:  The Prime Minister presided over the 9th National Handloom Day celebrations at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan and launched.

• Every year August 7 is observed as the National Handloom Day in India to highlight the contribution of the handloom industry in socio-economic development and create awareness about the sector.
• The National Handloom Day is celebrated across the country under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles.

Key Points

• The Prime Minister launched the e-portal Bhartiya Vastra evam Shilpa Kosh(?????? ?????? ??? ????????) Textiles & Crafts Repository e-portal, developed by NIFT. 
• The online repository will serve as a one-of-a-kind knowledge platform that will lay down a framework to weave the past and present status of textile, clothing and related crafts with a focus on futuristic developments. 
• The e-portal is a brainchild of the Prime Minister who exhorted the Ministry of Textiles in 2017 to “catalogue India’s clothing diversity depicting strength and specialities of each region”. 
• The digital portal will also provide access to vast database including research papers, case studies, dissertations and doctoral theses on textiles, clothing and craft related areas. 
• It will serve as a one stop resource, providing information on new developments and current events relating to textiles and crafts.