Textiles Minister opens New Handloom Technology Institute Campus in Bengal
The modern infrastructure of the building includes smart classrooms, a digital library, and well-equipped testing laboratories.
Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of Textiles, inaugurated the new permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT) at Fulia in West Bengal. The campus has been built using state-of-the-art technology on a sprawling 5.38-acre plot of land, with an investment of Rs 750.95 million.
The modern infrastructure of the building includes smart classrooms, a digital library, and well-equipped testing laboratories. This new campus is designed to serve as a model learning hub and a Centre of Excellence in handloom and textile technology, addressing the educational needs of students from West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Sikkim.
During the ceremony, the Minister planted saplings as part of the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” initiative, alongside other dignitaries. A unified website for all six central IIHTs was also launched, and a book titled “Computer-aided Figured Graph Designing for Jacquard Weaving” was released by the Minister.
In his address, Singh emphasised the impact of various Textile Ministry schemes on the development of handloom weavers. He dedicated the newly established institute, with its world-class infrastructure, to West Bengal. The Minister also announced an increase in the intake for first-year admissions from 33 to 66. He mentioned that children of handloom weavers would have the opportunity to study at the institute and contribute to the handloom industry in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Sikkim.
The Minister further noted that IIHT Fulia would play a significant role in the textile value chain by utilising flax and linen as raw materials and incorporating design inputs from NIFT Kolkata. He also acknowledged the rich legacy of handloom weaving in West Bengal and shared that Indian handloom products had been in greater demand than cloth produced in Manchester before the industrial revolution.
