Manipur, the Jewel of India, is a tiny State located at the North-Easternpart of India, bordering Myanmar, with 2.84 million populations as per Census 2011 in an area of 22,327sq.km.The capital city of Imphal has good air connectivity to the rest of the country, especially Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bengaluru, etc. and is poised to get its much-needed railway connection shortly as well as the Asian Trans-Continental Highway which will run through the State and into Myanmar.
The Directorate of Handlooms & Textiles was set up vide Manipur Gazette Notification No.505 dated 02-01-2017 under the administrative control of the Department of Textiles, Commerce & Industry, Government of Manipur. Formerly, the Directorate of Handlooms & Textiles was part of the Directorate of Commerce & Industries till 2016.
The primary objective of the Directorate of Handlooms and Textiles is to promote the socio-economic conditions of the handloom weavers, handicrafts artisans and textile entrepreneurs to work for the harmonious growth of the textile sector in Manipur. Basically, handloom and handicrafts is a cottage industry and from time immemorial, it has been playing a vital role in the socio-economic life of Manipur. It represents the continuity of the age-old heritage of handcrafts in Manipur and reflects the socio-cultural tradition of the peoples of the State. The traditional skill of crafts is not only a status symbol for the women-folk, but it is an indispensable aspect of socio-economic life in Manipur.
Vision: Transformation of Manipur into a vibrant State in Textile Industry that produces fabrics of good quality to meet growing global demands and generate employment for economic growth.
Textile Industry: Textile Industry include all units, which are engaged in various value chain activities of the industry such as cotton plantation to Spinning, Weaving (Powerloom and Handloom including pre and post loom activities), Handicrafts, Embroidery, Knitting, Processing including natural/vegetable plants and dyes, Garmenting, Technical textiles, Textile machinery manufacturing and its corresponding business as well as other ancillary activities.
Existing and New Enterprises: Existing enterprise is a registered enterprise which is implementing expansion / diversification / modernization in an existing project or industry for same activity whereas; new enterprise means an enterprise which commences commercial production during the operative period of this Policy
Textile industry in India covers the entire value chain of (i) Raw Material (fibres), (ii) Spinning, (iii) Weaving and (iv) Apparel. Textile industry contributes about 14% of industrial production, 4% to the GDP, accounts for 17% of total exports, is the largest employment provider after agriculture (82 million people direct/indirect) with a market size of USD 52 billion at present (exports & domestic) and is expected to reach USD 110 billion by 2022.