Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena visits Biraja Handloom Producer Company Ltd. of Jajpur

Bhubaneswar dt.15.06.2023
Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena visited Gopalpur and Chakagopalpur villages of Jajpur district on
dt.14.06.2023, Wednesday.

During his visit the Chief Secretary held discussions with the members of the Biraja Handloom
Producer Company Ltd. which is run by the local Netaji Yuvak Sangh, with NABARD assistance and
members' shares. Enquiring about the different weaving activities, the Chief Secretary had a detail
discussion with the District Collector, Jajpur Shri Chakravarti Singh Rathore about its further
development, as the members of the company requiring.
Gopalpur in Jajpur district has long been known as a tussar weaving centre in the State. For many
years, about 2,000 weavers from around 300 families here have been maintaining their families by
making handloom collective products such as sarees, shawls, kurttas, lungis, bedsheets, dhotis and a
variety of textiles made of tussar yarn. Ikkat Kumbh border and smooth border sarees, among other
textiles, are highly attractive because they are woven using traditional techniques and the ikkat
weaving method with pure tussar and ‘ahimsa thread’.

District Collector Shri Rathore briefed the Chief Secretary on how to develop the weavers' collective
art of the tussar handloom, as well as how to progress a marketing sector by using modern machinery
to produce more products in less time and at a lower cost, and how to supply tussar to Sukinda's
tussar production centre.
The project was first launched in September 2021-22. At present, the company comprises 350
members and NABARD has provided a financial grant of Rs 50 lakh. The company has trained 150
people in various types of training such as painting, design cutting, sewing, yakad and jabbi, out of
which 10 best trainees are currently engaged in this project.
In order to strengthen the Biraja Handloom Manufacturing Company, the District Collector
emphasized on the need to meet the shortage of tussar, marketing system and increase its scope
through Community Support Centre.Chief General Manager, NABARD Shri Udaya Bhaskar briefed
about various aspects of the project and how NABARD is working towards promoting this handloom
industry.
Chief Secretary Shri Jena expressed satisfaction over the work of tussar industry at Gopalpur and
Chakagopalpur and said that the State Government would extend all possible support to make the
weavers of both the villages fully self-reliant.

The Chief Secretary also congratulated the weavers for making the handloom industry of Jajpur district
very famous. He advised NABARD functionaries and district Collector to impart handloom training in
Surat of Gujurat and Assam to make the industry more and more familiar.
Superintendent of Police,Jajpur Shri Vinit Agarwal, DGM, NABARD Shri Kamal Patnaik, Secretary of the
Handloom Company Shri Biswambar Sahu, Coordinator Smt. Binapani Mangala, BDO, Rasulpur and
other officials were also present during the visit.