The government has constituted an eight-member committee to double production and quadruple the exports of handlooms in three years. The committee was set up by the Textiles Ministry under the leadership of Sunil Sethi, Chairman, Fashion Design Council of India. The committee will help the government achieve its target of increasing handloom production to Rs 1.25 lakh crore from Rs 60,000 crore and increasing handloom exports to Rs 10,000 crore from Rs 2,500 crore in three years’ time.

Members of the committee include Sudha Dhingra, Professor, National Institute of Fashion Technology; Shefali Vaidya, Freelance Writer, Influencer and Textile Expert; Anagha Gaisas, Owner, Saudamini Handlooms and Paithani revivalist; Suket Dir, Fashion Designer and Managing Director, SKA Advisors and Sunil Alagh, Former Managing Director and CEO, Britannia Industries; KN Prabhu, Paradigm International and Member, HEPC Executive Committee, and Hetal R Mehta, Chairman, Science Engineering and Technological Upliftment Foundation (SETU), Surat.

As per the statement, the panel would also put forth ways for collaboration of handloom weaver agencies with the designers, buying houses and institutions, organizations and exporters, and improving the marketing of products, improving input supplies such as raw materials, credit, technology upgradation, skilling and designs.