President of India to present Handloom Awards 2025 on Aug 7 on National Handloom Day

04 August 2026, Delhi: The President of India will present the prestigious Handloom Awards during the National Handloom Day celebrations on 7 August 2026.

The function will be attended by the Union Minister of Textiles, Shri Giriraj Singh, senior dignitaries, representatives of the handloom industry, master weavers, designers, exporters, artisans, and other distinguished guests.

A total of 22 awardees, comprising 3 Sant Kabir Handloom Awardees and 19 National Handloom Awardees, will be honoured for their exceptional contribution towards preserving, promoting and advancing India's rich handloom traditions.

Celebrating Excellence in Handloom

The Ministry of Textiles has announced the recipients of the Sant Kabir Handloom Awards and National Handloom Awards 2025, acknowledging outstanding excellence in weaving, innovation, design development, marketing initiatives, start-up ventures and producer companies associated with the handloom sector.

The awards are instituted under the Handloom Marketing Assistance (HMA) component of the National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP) and represent the highest national recognition for excellence in the handloom ecosystem.

The awards will be presented during the National Handloom Day celebrations to honour individuals and organisations whose work has significantly strengthened India's handloom heritage and enhanced its competitiveness in domestic and international markets.

The event is expected to witness participation from Members of Parliament, senior government officials, industry experts, academic institutions, exporters, designers and handloom weavers from across the country.

Handloom Awards

The Handloom Awards are intended to encourage excellence, innovation and sustained commitment in the handloom sector. They recognise outstanding craftsmanship, adoption of modern techniques while preserving traditional skills, product diversification, design innovation and contributions towards the socio-economic development of weaving communities.

Sant Kabir Handloom Award

The award is the country's highest recognition for handloom weavers who have demonstrated extraordinary craftsmanship and lifelong dedication to the preservation and promotion of India's weaving traditions.

Recipients are selected based on exceptional technical skill, innovation, sustained contribution to the sector, promotion of traditional weaving practices, mentoring of artisans and efforts towards community development.

The award comprises of:-

Gold Coin (Mounted)
Tamrapatra
Shawl
Certificate

National Handloom Award

The National Handloom Award honours handloom weavers and other stakeholders who have displayed outstanding creativity, quality, innovation and excellence in their respective fields.

The award seeks to inspire artisans and institutions to continuously raise standards in craftsmanship, product development and market outreach while preserving India's diverse handloom traditions.

The award comprises of :-

Tamrapatra
Shawl
Certificate

Selection Process

Awardees in the weaving category are selected through a rigorous multi-level evaluation process involving Zonal, Headquarters and Central Level Selection Committees. These committees comprise experienced professionals, technical experts and senior government officials who assess nominations against prescribed eligibility criteria and evaluation parameters.

For categories relating to design development, marketing, start-up ventures and producer companies, nominations undergo a structured evaluation by the Headquarters Committee and the Central Level Committee before final approval.

The selection mechanism ensures transparency, objectivity and recognition of genuine excellence across all segments of the handloom sector.