It operates within the informal sector, and creates around 14 per cent of total textile production in India. Though the khadi yarn, Gandhi cap and the national flag remain exempt, other items made of khadi, including apparels, are being taxed. The symbolism of khadi in India’s Independence movement China Long dress cover is immense. The tax on sarees and apparels above Rs 1,000 has made competition far tougher for the handloom sector.31 lakhs, as many as 36.
Sharmistha MukherjeeThe writer is president of the Delhi Pradesh Mahila Congress and an AICC national media panellist. Super-fine cotton fabric called muslin, known in ancient Rome as ventus textilis (the woven wind), was a highly-coveted item.33 lakh are in rural areas. During the freedom movement, Mahatma Gandhi began the practice of spinning and weaving homegrown textiles — khadi. The weavers are given credit by middlemen and/or traders for the purchase of raw materials like yarn, threads or zari. There is evidence of cotton production in the Indus Valley Civilisation.Handloom is not merely an economic activity.The Indian textile industry is one of the world’s oldest. By a rough estimate, 61 per cent of weavers work independently, 34 per cent work under master weavers, and only five per cent work through cooperatives and clusters. It’s an art that its practitioners dedicate their lives to learn. Khadi remains one of the most potent symbols of India’s independence from “political slavery, economic bondage and cultural stagnation”. Indian cotton and silk were prized items for export in ancient India to other ancient civilisations.According to the data from the ministry of textiles, there are 43.
Each state of India has its own hand-woven, hand-embroidered, traditional handloom textiles and sarees that have won the admiration of millions across the globe. In many weaving communities, skills are imparted by home training and continue through generations. It’s an intrinsically embedded imagery of the freedom struggle with Mahatma Gandhi. According to a media report, in Varanasi, the Prime Minister’s constituency, which is one of the earliest textile centres in India, traditional weavers have been rendered jobless and are being forced to look for other jobs. This changed only after the Industrial Revolution in England. The weavers are not given credit as they can’t raise invoices due to the lack of digital as well as financial literacy.