Question

Mention two reasons to explain why the handloom sector of the cotton textile industry is important.

Answer 1

The handloom sector of the cotton textile industry is important for the following reasons:

• Employment Generation: The handloom sector provides employment to over 43 lakh persons engaged in weaving and allied activities. This shows that the sector plays a significant role in providing livelihoods to a large number of people.
• Production and Export Earnings: The production of handloom fabrics has increased more than fifteenfold from 500 million square meters in the early 1950s to 6,949 million square meters in 2010-11. The sector constitutes nearly 15% of the total cloth produced in India and also contributes substantially to the country’s export earnings.