New Delhi: Union Minister of Textiles, Giriraj Singh, inaugurated Sunday the new permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT) in Fulia, Nadia, West Bengal. The new campus, built on 5.38 acres of land at a cost of Rs. 75.95 crores, boasts state-of-the-art infrastructure, including smart classrooms, a digital library, and modern testing laboratories. It will serve as a Centre of excellence in the field of handloom and textile technology, a PIB release revealed.
The institute is envisioned to cater to educational needs of students from West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Sikkim, offering a specialized curriculum in handloom and textile technology. The increased intake for the first-year admission will now be 66, up from a previous 33. This expansion aims to provide more opportunities for the children of handloom weavers to study at the institute and contribute to the handloom industry in these regions.
During the inauguration, Minister Singh planted saplings under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” drive along with other dignitaries. He emphasized the government’s commitment to the textile sector, aiming to reach a market size of $300 billion by 2030 and generate employment for 6 crore people in the textile value chain. He highlighted the role of IIHT Fulia in this endeavor, particularly in utilizing locally available raw materials like flax and linen, and incorporating design inputs from NIFT, Kolkata.
The Minister also launched a unified website for all six Central IIHTs and released a book titled “Computer-aided figured graph designing for Jacquard Weaving” during the event.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by dignitaries including Shri Suvendu Adhikari, MLA & Hon’ble Leader of opposition, West Bengal, and Shri Jagannath Sarkar, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Ranaghat constituency.