Revitalizing Traditional Industries: Exploring the Role of Populism in India’s Handloom Sector

After agriculture, the handloom division in the textile industry provides employment and economic support to a large population as there is less capital investment and decentralized operations. In the textile industry, technology has a considerable impact on manufacturing processes. The development and introduction of high-speed machinery and automation have overshadowed the handloom sector, which relies solely on human labor. However, populism has long supported the traditional handloom industry to provide a source of income for weavers who do not have an alternate earning. Subsidies, product reservations, marketing support, and price reductions have all been populist policies by the government in the past. The question is, has populism saved the handloom sector and provided adequate income to weavers? Through a case study analyzing the secondary information, this entry aims to explore the need for change in the populist policies for the twenty-first century.