New Delhi, Jul 23 (KNN) Minister of State for Textiles Darshana Jardosh has said that around 1.5 lakh weavers have been onboarded on the public procurement portal Government e-Market place (GeM).

The minister in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday said steps have been taken to on-board weavers / artisans on the GeM to enable them to sell their products directly to various government departments and organisations.

"So far about 1.5 lakh weavers have been boarded on the GeM portal," she added.

In a separate reply, she said under the Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP), 24 Greenfield parks have been completed.

The minister said SITP is being implemented with a view to increase investment, generate employment opportunities and boost exports in the textile sector.

The minister also said that since it is not feasible to hold conventional marketing events such as exhibitions, melas, etc. due to COVID-19 pandemic, Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC) has been organizing International Fairs in virtual mode, facilitating marketing and sales of Handloom Products in the domestic as well as international markets.

''During the year 2020-21, 12 handloom fairs were organized by HEPC in virtual mode. The fairs have been attracting considerable attention from both domestic as well as international business entities,'' she said.

Besides, 53 domestic marketing events were also organized in different parts of the country for the weavers to market and sell their products, she avowed.