District Collector S. Kandasamy on Friday (August 7) inaugurated a district-level two-day special handloom exhibition and sale to mark the 12th National Handloom Day at the Collectorate and distributed government welfare assistance worth ₹28.95 lakh to handloom weavers.

Organised by the Department of Handlooms and Textiles, the exhibition on the Collectorate premises will be open Saturday. Handloom products, including Chennimalai bedspreads, Bhavani Jamakkalams, bedsheets, pillow covers, curtains, mats, towels, cotton sarees and soft silk sarees, are being sold with a 20% State government subsidy.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kandasamy said National Handloom Day, observed on August 7, commemorates the launch of the Swadeshi Movement in 1905 and recognises the contribution of handloom weavers to the country’s socio-economic development. He appealed to the public to support the sector by purchasing handloom products.

The Erode region has 191 handloom weavers’ cooperative societies and 57 powerloom cooperative societies, with about 55,000 weavers enrolled in the handloom cooperatives. Major weaving centres include Chennimalai, Bhavani, Anthiyur, Gobichettipalayam, Sathyamangalam, Kavundapadi and Sivagiri. The region is known for Chennimalai bedspreads and Bhavani Jamakkalams.

The District Collector honoured senior weavers with shawls and mementoes and distributed welfare assistance, including e-Mudra loan sanctions, savings and social security scheme benefits, and old-age pension assistance, totalling ₹28.95 lakh.

Published - August 07, 2026 07:35 pm IST