About the Directorate
The Directorate of Textiles (Handlooms, Spinning Mills, Silk Weaving & Handloom Based Handicrafts Division) under the aegis MSME & Textiles Department, Govt. of West Bengal, is the nodal agency to look after the development of Handloom sector in the State of West Bengal supported by two Central marketing organizations (TANTUJA and PASCHIM BANGA RESHAM SHILPI SAMABAY MAHASANGHA) and State-controlled Spinning Mills. The Directorate of Textiles is continuously striving for sustainable development of Handloom sector. The sector has been considered as one of the major pillars of economic development in West Bengal.
Handloom Industry is the largest Cottage Industry of the State providing employment opportunity to a large number of people only next to Agriculture.
In West Bengal, there are 2,83,404 handlooms as per the 4th Handloom Census conducted by the Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India in 2019-2020 providing direct and indirect employment to about 6,31,447 persons. For details, please log on to this Directorate's official website: https://handloom.wb.gov.in/index.html
About Marketing Incentive Scheme
The Marketing Incentive Scheme, under the Department of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises & Textiles, supports West Bengal’s rich Handloom heritage by empowering weavers and co-operative societies. With over 3.5 lakhs, Handlooms and a workforce of more than 6.6 lakh, the scheme promotes skill development, design innovation, and marketing support. It aims to strengthen the Handloom sector through financial assistance and capacity-building, ensuring sustainable growth and preserving the legacy of Bengal’s traditional craftsmanship.
The Directorate of Textiles (Handlooms, Spinning Mills, Silk Weaving & Handloom Based Handicrafts Division) under the MSME & Textiles Department, Govt. of West Bengal, is the nodal agency to look after the development of Handloom sector in the State of West Bengal. Various schemes are being implemented by the Directorate to render support for development and promotion of this sector with a view for growth, marketing and welfare. Marketing Incentive (MI) for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 is a GOI sponsored scheme, the ratio of allocation of fund being 50:50 between the Government of West Bengal and Government of India. The concept envisions enabling handloom agencies to adjust their prices towards increasing cost competitiveness of the products, improve designs, and invest in infrastructure so as to improve production and productivity.
