GUWAHATI, March 26 � Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today announced that the State government would soon formulate a handloom and textile policy aimed at safeguarding the interests of the weavers and artisans engaged in the sector, besides safeguarding the �purity and good name� of the State�s indigenous handloom and textile products.
The Chief Minister told mediapersons that a yarn bank would also be set up at Sualkuchi � hub of the indigenous Assamese silk industry � for facilitating smooth supply of yarn to the weavers at subsidised rates.
The Chief Minister further revealed that a hallmark for Assam�s silk, such as muga, would be developed for preventing sale of inferior quality textile sought to be passed off as muga by dishonest traders and sellers.
�The hallmark will ensure the purity of the Assamese silk and at the same time check the sale of poor quality silks from outside which are being sold to unsuspecting customers as genuine Assamese silk,� he added.
Gogoi said that it would be made mandatory on the part of any seller to specify in the cash memo whether the silk he/she was selling was genuine Assamese silk or any other material.
Gogoi said that a squad would also be raised for monitoring the sale and related aspects for preventing the sale of other inferior quality silk in the name of the famed silk of Assam.
Gogoi added that he had a meeting with Handloom and Textile Minister Bismita Gogoi over the matter and that the Deputy Commissioners of the districts were being directed to do the needful for cracking down hard on the illegal rackets selling inferior quality silk in the name of Assam�s silk.
