New Delhi, Aug 2 — Institutional partnerships with premier institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology and the National Institutes of Fashion Technology can develop technological solutions that reduce manual effort, integrate scientific precision into traditional weaving processes and enhance the livelihoods of weavers, according to an official statement on Sunday.

Dr M. Beena, Development Commissioner (Handlooms) in the Ministry of Textiles, highlighted the complementary relationship between India’s rich handloom heritage and modern technology while addressing Handloom Hackathon 2.0 at the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer, IIT Delhi.

Organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles, the hackathon attracted more than 2,500 participants. Of these, 280 contestants representing the top 100 shortlisted teams from across the country worked on technology-driven solutions for the handloom sector.

“Handloom represents our rich heritage, whereas technology represents the future. Through the Handloom Hackathon, we are combining these two realms to uplift our weaver community,” Beena said. She noted that handloom inherently promotes sustainability and circularity and stressed the need for innovation across loom processes, design development and modern marketing.

She also pointed to key initiatives of the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms), including the Indian Handmade Portal, an e-commerce platform that enables weavers to showcase and sell their products globally without third-party intermediaries.

Dr Deepti Gupta, Head of the Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering at IIT Delhi, said the forthcoming Centre of Excellence for Handloom Technology at the institute would strengthen the integration of technology with handloom, enabling greater standardisation and productivity while preserving the uniqueness of handcrafted textiles. The centre is proposed to be inaugurated next week in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles.

The hackathon reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to fostering innovation, collaborative research and technology-led interventions for strengthening India’s handloom ecosystem. By encouraging young innovators to develop practical solutions, the initiative aims to improve productivity, sustainability and market competitiveness while safeguarding the country’s handloom heritage.