Koraput: Six eminent weavers, Madhu Panika, Bidyadhar Mahanta, Gobardhan Panika, Khagapati Panika, Jema Panika and Baidyanath Samarath, of KBK region were felicitated during a programme organized to mark the 3rd National Handloom Day at Central University of Orissa (CUO), Sunabeda, on Monday.
All six are recipient of national award for ethnic handloom products.
Vice-Chancellor of the University Sachidananda Mohanty inaugurated the programme aimed at generating awareness about importance of handloom industry and its contribution to the socio-economic development of the country.
Mohanty spoke about the importance of the handloom industry in the 18th century and its struggle during the British era. “Handloom is the symbol of our fight for freedom. Discovering handloom means discovering our nationalism,” he said.
Field Publicity Officer, Bhawanipatna, Mahendra Prasad Jena asked the students to create awareness regarding the use of handloom.
Sub-registrar of Co-Operative Society, Koraput, Narendra Kumar Suna spoke about the glorious history of handloom in Odisha and appealed the gathering to recognize the tradition and culture for the development of handloom.
Technical Superintendent of Weavers Service Centre, Bhubaneswar, Navneet Singh Sekhawat highlighted the steps taken by the government to promote handloom and create employment opportunities in rural areas.
The programme was organized by the Directorate of Field Publicity, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in collaboration with CUO and the Ministry of Textile.
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