President Droupadi Murmu for branding Pochampally handlooms, setting up yarn depot

HYDERABAD: President of India Draupadi Murmu visited Bhudan Pochampally in Hyderabad as part of her winter sojourn. She arrived in a special helicopter from Begumpet airport and first went to the town's Tourism Center and Acharya Vinoba Bhave Bhawan. She paid homage to land grant activists Vinoba Bhave and Vedire Ramachandra Reddy. She then visited the photo exhibition in the Vinoba Bhave building, where she observed the manufacturing of Pochampalli tie and dye and Ikat sarees.

At Balaji Function Hall, a theme pavilion was set up to showcase the excellence of Telangana Handloom besides setting up various stalls related to handloom including Pochampally Ikat, Puttapaka Teliya handkerchiefs, Muchhapeta, Narayanapeta, Gadwala sarees, and Siddipeta Gollabhama sarees. Demonstrations of handloom weaving, saree making, and charkha were also held at the function hall, which sparked President Murmu's interest.

The President acknowledged the concerns of the handloom workers and assured them that their requests would be looked into. She recognised the importance of timely delivery of yarn and promised to consider the establishment of a yarn depot at Pochampally to address this issue. The President also praised the idea of establishing a national organisation related to knowledge, emphasising the need for recognition of handloom workers as artists rather than just labourers.

Moreover, the President expressed her support for Kurapati Venkatesham's suggestion to promote the sale of Ikat silk sarees and agreed that creating a brand for Pochampally silk sarees would be beneficial for the industry.

President Droupadi Murmu acknowledged the significance of the handloom industry in providing employment opportunities for rural people and commended the awardees for their contribution to the field. She called on the Government and officials to take more initiative in supporting the development of the handloom sector.