Ilkogretim Online - Elementary Education Online, Year; Vol 19 (Issue 3): pp. 1923-1940 http://ilkogretim-online.org doi: 10.17051/ilkonline.2020.03.735348 1923| Shruti Sudha Mishra SUSTAINABILITY OF HANDLOOM: A REVIEW SUSTAINABILITY OF HANDLOOM: A REVIEW Shruti Sudha Mishra, ICSSR Doctoral Fellow, Dept. of Business Administration, Sambalpur University, shrutimishra@suniv.ac.in A.K. Das Mohapatra, Professor, Dept. of Business Administration, Sambalpur University, akdm@suniv.ac.in Abstract- The handloom sector has a unique place in Indian economy and plays a vital role in the economic development of the rural poor. Despite several measures taken by the government by the way of institutional support and direct financial assistance to the handloom weavers, they have been in miserable state due to myriad problems and are sustaining continuous losses. Still it is undeniable that handloom won’t lose its market share because of its deep cultural and aesthetic value but it has to face head-on competition of all forms to retain its traditional importance along with its market share. Therefore for rural economic development of weaving community an active and penetrable market is necessary for the handloom products. The objective of the present study is to have an in-depth analysis of various causes that are responsible for the sustainable development of handloom. The paper basically reviews the vast literatures available to scale out different avenues for rural economic development of weaving community through sustainability of handloom. Keywords: Sustainability, Handloom, Economic development I. INTRODUCTION Handloom is the oldest known form of making cloth by hand. It represents a very early stage of cloth production. Handloom is now the source of livelihood to several millions of artisans and their families all over the world. Among the third world nations, a few countries still proudly keep on the ancient tradition of hand weaving side by side with power looms as the symbols of cultural legacies. Even in these days when man is trying to win the space, people still look at the handloom as symbol of the glorious past of the entire human cultural ethos and the aspirations of generations of people to preserve the best part of culture race. Handloom products are not mere pieces of decoration but also they also symbolize the culture and civilization. That apart, it is the time-honored legacy that has been passed on to us by our ancestors. The contribution of the textile sector including the handloom industry, towards the economic development of India can hardly be overemphasized. The textile industry plays a greater role in the growth of GDP in India. Textiles and clothing form the basic necessity of life; hence their demand will never come down. Textiles industry has an overarching presence in the economic life of India. Presently it contributes nearly 7 per cent to the industrial production, 2 per cent to the GDP and 15 per cent to the country’s export earnings, as contained in the Annual Report, 2018-19, Ministry of Textiles of Government of India. Importantly, this sector is India’s second largest employment provider, after agriculture. It employs over 45 million peoples directly and another 6 crore people in allied sectors which in turn includes a large number of people belonging to the scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and women. As regards the rural economy, the contribution of handloom in specified pockets of rural India has been both substantial and appreciable. A large number of weavers depend on the handloom produce to support and sustain their livelihood. However, due to intense competition from power-looms and large industrial houses, the earnings and the consequent survival of these weavers in the rural areas is at a danger. There are other related issues also that affect the handloom industry. These issues are lack of financial assistance, technological up gradation, infrastructure development, market availability, raw material prices, cultural ignorance etc to list a few. These issues need urgent redresal for survival and growth of handloom weavers. Hence the present study has been undertaken to review the vast literatures available and find out the factors that could help in sustainable development of the handloom weavers.