Fourth All India Handloom Census 2019-2020

This report was published in August 2019 by the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles, government of India. First published in 1987, the Handloom Census provides updated information on weavers, allied workers (those undertaking pre- or post-loom activities) and ‘non-household’ establishments such as co-operative societies. According to its Foreword by Development Commissioner (Handlooms) Sanjay Rastogi, the Fourth All India Handloom Census aims to aid the Ministry of Textiles in distributing ‘Pahchan’ cards – an Aadhaar-linked identity document for artisans – and ‘yarn passbooks’ for weavers. The Handloom Census covers 31 states and union territories, and 31.45 lakh households engaged in handloom activities. (The report does not include information on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, or Lakshadweep.) It counted a total of 25.45 lakh weaver households – those with at least one member operating a loom within the last year, in the house or outside its premises. The 2019 Handloom Census is the first to enumerate transgenders as a separate category. The 284-page report has seven chapters: Prologue (Chapter 1); Basic Concepts and Definitions (Chapter 2); Weaver Households (Chapter 3); Allied Workers (Chapter 4); Non-Households (Chapter 5); Looms (Chapter 6) and Production (Chapter 7).