Bhubaneswar, Nov. 4: Hand woven garments are set to become a weekly feature in the sartorial ambience of government offices across Odisha starting this Friday.
Ministers, MLAs and bureaucrats have been instructed to wear hand-woven clothes to work at least once a week. The move is aimed at providing a fillip to the state’s struggling handloom sector.
Sources said this decision of the government would be implemented in all districts in a phased manner. Revenue divisional commissioner (central division) Arabinda Padhi has issued a circular to this effect to all offices under his jurisdiction, which includes 10 districts — Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Jajpur. The decision would be implemented in these 10 districts in the first phase.
Handloom and textile minister Sarojini Hembram has also urged all the ministers and MLAs to wear handloom garments once a week.
According to instructions issued by the revenue divisional commissioner (central), officials will have to wear handloom garments every Friday, failing which they would face disciplinary action. However, unlike in the case of primary and high school teachers, no uniform code is being forced upon the officers.
After the order was issued, there was a rush of officials to Boyanika (Odisha State Handloom Weavers’ Co-operative Society) and other shops to buy handloom products.
“I spent Rs 900 today to buy handloom textiles to get two pairs of dresses stitched for me. If I don’t go to the office wearing the garment, it will be reported to the higher authorities,” said Mukesh Das, a Class-III government employee.
Hembram said: “To give a boost to the handloom sector, the handloom and textile department has requested all the legislators to wear handloom products and set an example for others.”
The state-run handloom industry, which is struggling to survive with indigenous fabrics and designs failing to win favour, is hopeful that the intervention of the government will shore up the industry.
There are at least 50,000 weavers in Sonepur, the hub of Sambalpuri handloom products in western Odisha. But the absence of an organised market has made life difficult for them.
According to information available with the state handloom and textile department, Odisha has 43,652 looms run by 1,92,339 weavers.
Manabhanjan Meher, advisor to the Nikhila Odisha Meher (Bhulia) Samaj, a body of weavers, said: “The government’s intervention is needed for revival of the handloom industry. The number of weavers in the state has decreased remarkably. Several weavers are quitting their traditional profession.”
