A new Centre of Excellence for Handloom Technology (CoE-HT) at IIT Delhi aims to fuse India’s rich weaving heritage with cutting-edge tech to create a future-ready handloom ecosystem focused on innovation, digital tools, sustainability, and entrepreneurship to boost productivity, market access, and weavers’ livelihoods.

The initiative will train at least 1,000 weavers, educators, and handloom professionals over the next five years, expanding capacity and expertise across the sector.

Union Textiles Minister inaugurated the CoE-HT, signaling a government push to modernise the handloom sector through technology, innovation, and research.

A Kalagriha Handloom Studio and broader digital platforms will connect rural artisans to modern, higher-paying markets, addressing fragmented supply chains and high transition costs.

The government aims to raise annual income for weavers and artisans to at least Rs 6 lakh, marking a clear earnings target.

Senior officials and a broad mix of stakeholders attended the event, including the Ministry of Textiles secretary, Development Commissioners for Handlooms and Handicrafts, IIT Delhi leadership, researchers, startups, and weavers from across the country.

Development Commissioner (Handlooms) Dr. M. Beena described the CoE-HT as a hub for research, innovation, knowledge sharing, and skill development across the handloom value chain.

Leaders highlighted the need for strong academia-industry-government collaboration to develop practical, technology-driven solutions for handloom development.

The program emphasizes integrating artificial intelligence, digital design, and loom modernization to move toward higher-value handloom products and better worker ergonomics.

Five flagship initiatives were launched alongside the center: Handloom 4.0 for loom productivity monitoring; Handloom e-Vidya for digital learning; HandloomX to support startups along the value chain; Kalagriha Handloom Studio for GenZ design and customization; and Threads of Valour, turning recycled defence textiles into handloom fabrics.