The Department of Textiles, Meghalaya has won a special award under the Textiles Sustainability Awards by the Confederation of Indian Textile Industries (CITI).
Principal Secretary of Textiles Frederick Roy Kharkongor received the award on behalf of the state from Union Minister of State Pabitra Margherita at a function held at the Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on the concluding day of the second edition of the Bharat Tex Global Textiles Expo 2025.
Since 2019, the department has taken up various initiatives to promote sericulture and weaving, which are important cottage based, eco-friendly industries in the rural areas that portray the cultural ethos and rich heritage of the people of the State.
The department officially declared and recognised the Umden-Diwon village, Ri Bhoi district as the state’s first Eri Silk village in 2021, setting up of the Design Innovation Research Centre, (DIRC) the next year, which showcases the entire value chain of Ryndia, developing the brand and pushed for its GI tag. It also set up an Eri Corner at Megh Tex and availed ‘Silk Samagra’ program to support Eri farmers and steering the ongoing execution of the iconic and upcoming Integrated Textile Tourism Project in Nongpoh. It also developed an e portal on Ryndia, supporting handloom cluster level programs, training and capacity building on new designs, documentation through woven narratives.
Additionally, the department supporting local production houses and designers cum entrepreneurs to participate and showcase their designs at the national and international exhibitions like the Dubai Expo, International Sericulture Commission, (ISC) Romana, Silk in Lyon, France 2022, G20 Craft Bazar, Italy, Vietnam 2023, Bharat Tex Global Expo 2024 thereby creating wider visibility for the state’s indigenous weaves, which are hand-spun, hand-woven, eco-friendly, naturally dyed, women driven, ethically sourced and organically produced right from thread to trend.
The Department along with likeminded stakeholders and creative partners continues to support activities and programs that encourage and develop the state’s signature Ryndia, besides other indigenous silks and weaves that aligns closely with the active promotion of the state’s textile sector that continues to stand as a testament of cultural preservation, economic opportunity, and a robust narrative of the enduring spirit and skilful resilience of its women artisans and weavers.
