Shillong: Meghalaya’s handloom industry remains a key source of sustainable rural employment, supporting the livelihoods of over 50,000 households, with women making up more than 70% of the workforce, textiles minister Metbah Lyngdoh said while launching Handloom Week during National Handloom Day celebrations in Shillong on Friday.Lyngdoh said handloom is central to preserving the state’s textile traditions and cultural heritage. “Handloom is not merely a textile product but a living heritage that reflects the identity, culture and history of the state’s indigenous communities, with every weave narrating the story of its people,” he said at the event organised by the Meghalaya textiles department.The minister visited stalls featuring local artisans’ work and received the Indian Tricolour under the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign.He noted that National Handloom Day, observed on Aug 7, marks the Swadeshi Movement of 1905, which promoted indigenous industries and the use of locally made goods.Citing this year’s theme, “Weaving for Innovation and Sustainability,” Lyngdoh said the department is implementing state- and centrally sponsored schemes to strengthen infrastructure, upgrade skills, support farmers, spinners and weavers, and improve market opportunities to ensure artisans receive fair value for their products.He called for stronger collaboration among educational institutions, entrepreneurs and designers with weavers to diversify products, blend traditional motifs with contemporary designs, promote sustainable fibres, and expand access through e-commerce and international platforms.Lyngdoh said Meghalaya has made progress in the textile sector, particularly in Ryndia (Eri silk), with initiatives aimed at building sustainable livelihoods for farmers, weavers, entrepreneurs and designers while taking the state’s craftsmanship to national and global platforms.
