Bhubaneswar – In a bold move to transform the handloom sector and uplift women-led Self Help Groups, the Government of Odisha has entered into a strategic partnership with the Weavers’ Service Centre under the Ministry of Textiles. Through this Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the Department of Mission Shakti, the state aims to blend tradition with innovation, ensuring that women weavers gain access to both national and global markets.
At the heart of this initiative lies the vision to make Odisha’s women weavers not just skilled artisans, but successful entrepreneurs. Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, speaking at the MoU signing, said that Odisha’s women are not only preserving culture but also redefining it. She referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent praise of the Santali weaving from Mayurbhanj and Sankirtan groups from Keonjhar as a national recognition of Odisha’s artistic soul. She added that the state is now moving beyond the goal of ‘Lakhpati Didi’ and setting its sights on creating ‘Crorepati Didis’ under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
The collaboration will pave the way for women SHGs engaged in weaving, tailoring, embroidery, and home-based crafts to receive hands-on training, design mentoring, and professional support in production, branding, and market readiness. From aligning their products with contemporary fashion to participating in exhibitions and digital commerce platforms, these women artisans will be equipped with tools to compete and succeed on a larger scale.
Shalini Pandit, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Mission Shakti, emphasized that the partnership addresses not just skill development but also the creation of a sustainable ecosystem where women-led enterprises can flourish. She highlighted the initiative’s potential to strengthen the textile value chain across rural Odisha while preserving the region’s weaving heritage.
The Weavers’ Service Centre will contribute by designing innovative, multi-colour paper patterns suited to modern tastes, guiding SHGs in aesthetic presentation and product finishing. They will also support the creation of prototypes and facilitate digital cataloging, enabling SHG products to gain wider visibility both online and offline.
Present during the signing were Monica Priyadarshini, Director of Mission Shakti, and Bikash Kumar, Deputy Director of the Weavers’ Service Centre. Together, they underscored the shared commitment to elevating traditional weaving from a livelihood to a livelihood-plus model, where creativity meets commerce.
This partnership is set to redefine the role of women in the textile economy of Odisha. By connecting grassroots talent with professional mentoring and market access, the state is not only reviving its ancient art forms but also weaving a brighter, self-reliant future for its women.
