Nongpoh, Dec 6 (PTI) Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Saturday announced that a Weavers’ Service Centre (WSC) will be set up in Meghalaya once the state government allots land, noting that the northeast currently has only one such facility, located in Guwahati.
Speaking after inaugurating the Integrated Textile & Tourism Centre (ITTC) at Nongpoh in Ri-Bhoi district and launching ‘EKTA’ Meghalaya (Exhibition cum Knowledge Sharing for Textiles Advantage), Singh said the proposed WSC would offer design, technical and market support to weavers across the region.
He said the ITTC would function as an integrated platform for training, design development, silk processing, product diversification and textile tourism, helping artisans access national and global opportunities.
The minister said the Centre was implementing schemes to modernise weaving technologies, strengthen handloom clusters and promote natural fibres globally.
Calling the northeast the “pride of India’s textile heritage”, Singh said the Union government was committed to strengthening every segment of the textile value chain in the region.
Singh also announced steps to enhance farmers’ income by expanding Muga sericulture.
“We discussed moving from two Muga crops to three so farmers can double their income. With best practices, one acre can yield four to five lakh rupees,” he said, adding that the Central Silk Board and the Meghalaya sericulture department would jointly take the initiative forward.
He noted that India is the only country producing all major varieties of silk – Muga, Tasar, Mulberry and Eri – and said scaling up Muga and Eri production in Meghalaya and the northeast could help India emerge as a global leader as other nations turn to synthetics.
Union minister Pabitra Margherita highlighted the strong presence of northeast artisans on global platforms, recalling how a weaver from a remote Meghalaya village showcased their fabric at ‘BharatTex’, one of the world’s largest textile events.
He said 52 per cent of India’s handlooms were located in the region, and announced that all textile ministers would meet in Guwahati next month to discuss a northeast-focused textile agenda.
Meghalaya Textiles Minister Metbah Lyngdoh described the ITTC as a transformative project that would empower artisans, revive silk heritage and position Nongpoh as a textile-tourism hub.
The centre, to be developed under the North East Regional Textile Promotion Scheme, has been conceived as an artisan hub, living textile museum and innovation space, Lyngdoh said.
State Principal Secretary (Textiles) Frederick Kharkongor added that the facility symbolised Meghalaya’s “textile renaissance”. PTI JOP RBT
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