'Handloom, silk products to be available online soon'

On the corporate model of Priyadarshini handlooms which is selling handloom and silk products, five high-tech stalls will soon be opened in Bengaluru on a pilot basis, said Textiles and Minority Welfare Minister Srimanth Patil.

Speaking to reporters after hoisting the National flag on the occasion of Independence Day here on Saturday, he stated Priyadarshini stalls have been neglected. A private agency has been tasked to identify locations to establish stalls by giving them a modern touch and to set up stalls. If this project gets success, it will be extended across the state, he told.

In order to make handlooms, famous silk sarees and other products available online, a meeting with the officials of Flipkart and Amazon has already been held. A Memorandum of Understanding will soon be entered with Amazon by giving a final shape to the discussions and the products will be made available online to the customers. Cloths to be prepared by skilled weavers get demand with online sell, Patil opined.

The government has decided to confer annual award to five skilled weavers every year. The award carries cash prize and a citation.