Bhubaneswar: The concluding ceremony of the 12th State-Level National Handloom Day 2026 was celebrated today at ‘Resha Bhawan’ at Mancheswar, Bhubaneswar, organized by the Department of Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts, Government of Odisha.
Attending the program, Departmental Minister Pradip Bal Samanta stated that National Handloom Day is a tribute to the skill, dedication, and resilience of our weavers, emphasizing that Odisha’s handloom is our identity, culture, and living heritage, with every weave—such as Sambalpuri Bandha, Bomkai, Khandua, Kotpad, Berhampuri Patta, or Gopalpur Tussar—carrying the stories of our land, our people, and our timeless traditions.
In his address, he mentioned that the State Government is actively ensuring the welfare and empowerment of weavers through a multifaceted and inclusive approach. He highlighted that to promote the overall development of the state’s textile sector, a total budget allocation of Rs 490.95 crore has been made over a 5-year period under the ‘Mukhyamantri Bayan Silpa Bikas Yojana’.
Under the Mukhyamantri Hastatanta Bikas Yojana, raw material banks are being set up, weavers are being honored, essential infrastructure is being built, and market access is being created. Additionally, an investment target of Rs 274 crore over 5 years has been earmarked under the ‘Mukhyamantri Resham Bikas Yojana’ for silk sector development. During the ceremony, the Minister congratulated the attending National Awardees, Sant Kabir Awardees, and Padma Shri Awardees of Odisha.
The Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Department, Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar, spoke about the history of National Handloom Day and discussed various projects undertaken by the Department. On this occasion, an audio-visual presentation showcasing the rich tradition and heritage of Odisha’s handlooms and textiles was screened. The foundation stones were laid for several key development initiatives across Odisha.
These projects include a Production and Sale Centre for Sambalpuri Bastralaya at Sohella in Baragada, the construction of a Rearing house at the Eri Seed Station in Khordha, and a Multipurpose facility centre at Odisso WCS in Jagatsinghpur. Additionally, foundation stones were laid for a Resham Odisha Showroom at Nimapada in Puri, alongside the construction of a Common Facility Centre (CFC) for weavers and sales staff and the renovation of the Boyanika showroom in Dhenkanal.
As part of this celebration, the State-Level Grand Finale was held following district-level hackathons, where winning teams from various districts showcased their innovative spirit and received awards.
Ganjam district group members U. Adarsh Kumar, A. Ganapati, and A. Kusum secured first place in the state-level competition. On the occasion of attending the event, the guests planted saplings, which promoted the government’s vision of environmental protection and the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative.
The occasion was graced by Departmental Commissioner-cum-Secretary Smt. Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar, Boyanika President Prakash Meher, SERIFED President Bhagirathi Nanda, Director of Textiles and Handlooms
Surya Narayan Pattnaik, and Odisha Crafts Council Chairman Santosh Kumar Mohapatra. On this occasion, Odisha’s Padma Shri awardees Sarat Kumar Patra and Gobardhan Panika; Sant Kabir awardees Kshetra Meher, Bhikari Meher, Surendra Meher, Dayalu Meher, Bhaktaraj Meher, Kalabati Meher, Swarnalata Meher, Debaki Meher, Harishankar Meher, Makardhwaja Meher, Rushabha Meher, Iswar Meher, Ramakrishna Meher, Harilal Meher, Ram Meher, Prahlad Meher, Arindra Meher, and Shyam Sundar Karan; along with National Awardees Laxmipriya Das, Raj Kishor Mahanayaka, Chakrapani Patra, and Bharata Meher were felicitated. Along with this, officials from various districts were awarded for their outstanding performance in the department.
