SHILLONG, Aug 7 - Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma today said the State Government is working with sericulture and weaving clusters across the country to promote the State weavers engaged in producing �Ahimsa Silk�.
In a series of tweets to mark the National Handloom Day on Friday, Sangma said: �We salute our Handloom Weavers who make commendable efforts to preserve the vibrant indigenous handloom and handicrafts sector of our nation. Let us be �Vocal for Handmade� and strengthen our country's efforts towards an Aatmanirbhar Bharat.�
The Chief Minister said that Meghalaya produces �Ahimsa Silk� through a non-violent breeding and harvesting method. Through this method, the wild silkworm species is allowed metamorphosis up to its moth stage.
Touching on the sericulture and weaving Industry, Sangma said the industry has an important role to play in poverty alleviation as it is labour-intensive and less strenuous, requires less capital and has a good market.
The Chief Minister said that this sector also generates sizable employment opportunities in the rural areas. A large segment of women in the State has also taken up sericulture and weaving activities like silkworm rearing, silk reeling, spinning and weaving in their own houses.
�It not only ensures overall development of woman, but also enables her to play a significant role in the family and the society,� Sangma said.
Drawing attention to the launch of �My Handloom Portal� by Union minister Smriti Irani, the Chief Minister said the portal is a one-stop platform for information on everything related to handloom.
The portal allows weavers and other stakeholders to track applications in real time, thereby enhancing transparency and efficiency. The Meghalaya Government has also launched a social media campaign to champion the cause of people engaged in sericulture and weaving.
Meghalaya is implementing three Central schemes and engaged in the �Integrated Scheme for Development of Eri Silk Industry� in Ri-Bhoi district. In the handloom sector, 72 handloom clusters have been set up in every district, covering 5,307 weavers.
Moreover, the Integrated Textile Tourism Complex at Nongpoh aims at both augmenting and leveraging textile-based tourism by setting up the necessary infrastructure.
