Two weeks International Certificate program on “Heritage and Indigenous Textiles” is organized by the Office of Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles in collaboration with Ministry of External Affairs under Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation Programme(ITEC)

Two weeks International Certificate program on “Heritage and Indigenous Textiles” is organized by the Office of Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles in collaboration with Ministry of External Affairs under Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC).This is the first time that the Ministry of Textiles is collaborating with Ministry of External Affairs in this regard.The program is attended by 26 participants from 16 countries and is hosted by the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT), Varanasi from 18^th to 29^th August, 2025.

Dr. M. Beena, Development Commissioner (Handlooms) was the Chief Guest during the inaugural session held on 18^th August, 2025. While inaugurating the programme, she highlighted that the study of Indian textiles is a study of the rich cultural heritage of India. Each weave of India represents its culture & tradition and every weave tells a story.  

She underscored the importance of sustainability imbibed in handlooms and its validation through Carbon Credit study of IIT Delhi. She further emphasised the need to go ‘Back to Roots’ as adapting handlooms is not looking back, it is looking for a greener tomorrow. She hoped that the course will be an immersive experience of ‘Banaras’ and Indian textile traditions.

ITEC Programme, is the leading and one of the oldest capacity building platforms of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, instituted in 1964 & having trained more than 2,00,000 officials from 160+ countries in both the civilian and in the defense sector.

ITEC Two-Weeks Course on “Heritage/Indigenous Textiles is designed for policymakers, practitioners, and textile professionals from various countries to explore India’s rich heritage/indigenous textiles and understand the integral role of the Indian handloom sector in the global textile market. The course offers immersive field visits to Handloom Clusters and India’s key institutions/centres focusing on Indian handloom traditions, their significance, techniques, preservation and how they play a pivotal role in global trade.

IIHT, Varanasi has been established by the Government of India in 1956 to train technical personnel in modern methods and latest developments in the handloom field.

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