Giriraj Singh Inaugurates IIHT SUTRA 2026 in New Delhi
18 August 2026: Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh inaugurated IIHT SUTRA 2026 on 12 August 2026 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi. The Ministry of Textiles described the event as the first national conclave of the Indian Institutes of Handloom Technology.
The Office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) organised the meeting under the theme “IIHTs: Weaving the Future of the Indian Handloom Sector – Educate. Innovate. Transform.” Policymakers, teachers, industry leaders, researchers, alumni and students took part in talks on the future of handloom education and its place in India’s handloom economy.
Secretary (Textiles) Neelam Shami Rao and Development Commissioner (Handlooms) Dr. Beena M. attended the inaugural session. Addressing the gathering, Singh said India’s handloom sector is both a cultural strength and a source of livelihoods, women’s work, exports and more sustainable growth. He said tradition must move with technology, design, entrepreneurship and research and stressed the role of IIHTs in training technologists who can lift productivity, design quality and long-term competitiveness.
According to the minister, six Central IIHTs and five State IIHTs have trained professionals over about seven decades for industry, enterprise, exports, research and public institutions. He also pointed to recent B.Tech expansion, stronger research work, laboratory and campus upgrades, student support measures and international training.
Rao said handloom education needs continuous updating: curricula aligned with new technology, deeper industry partnerships, applied research and innovation-led teaching. The aim, she said, is to prepare graduates not only for jobs but also for entrepreneurship, leadership and research. Welcoming delegates, Dr. Beena called IIHT SUTRA a long-term Ministry initiative to build a national platform linking government, industry, campuses, research bodies and alumni.
Three strategic MoUs were exchanged during the inaugural session:
– Grasim Industries Limited, for curriculum support, internships, industry exposure, skill development and joint work
– Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA), for collaborative research, testing, innovation, technical support and capacity building
– Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur, for leadership development, entrepreneurship, innovation, faculty development and institutional capacity
NITRA separately said its MoU covers the six Central IIHTs at Salem, Varanasi, Guwahati, Jodhpur, Bargarh and Fulia.
Meritorious IIHT students received gold medals and rank certificates. The Ministry released “Handloom Change Makers,” a publication on distinguished alumni, and Singh launched the Ministry film “Weaving India’s Handloom Future.” An exhibition showed student innovations, research and emerging tools used at the institutes. A later technical panel discussed industry-academia collaboration, curriculum, skills and future readiness for the textile and handloom sector.
