Handloom Hackathon 2.0 Concludes at IIT Delhi with Technology-Based Solutions

New Delhi, Aug 3 (KNN) The second edition of Handloom Hackathon 2.0 – “Weaving Innovations” concluded at IIT Delhi with more than 2,500 participants, including 280 participants from 100 shortlisted teams, presenting technology-based solutions for challenges in India’s handloom sector.

The hackathon was organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles at the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi. The shortlisted teams worked on areas including loom modernisation, design innovation, sustainability, market access and weaver livelihoods.

Development Commissioner (Handlooms) Dr. M. Beena, IIT Delhi Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering Head Dr. Deepti Gupta, IIT Delhi Alumni Association Secretary Pankaj Kapadia and ThinkStartup Co-founder Sanjeeva Shivesh attended the event.

Dr. M. Beena highlighted technology applications in loom processes, design development and marketing. She also referred to the Indian Handmade Portal, an e-commerce platform that enables weavers to showcase and sell their products without third-party intermediaries.

The event also highlighted collaboration between handloom institutions and academic institutions such as IITs and NIFTs to develop technological solutions for reducing manual effort and improving productivity in traditional weaving processes.

Dr. Deepti Gupta said the proposed Centre of Excellence for Handloom Technology at IIT Delhi would support greater integration of technology with handloom production, including standardisation and productivity improvements while retaining handcrafted characteristics.

Winners were recognised in four categories: Weaver Livelihoods & Financial Inclusion; Market Access & Digital Integration; Sustainability & Environmental Impact; and Innovation in Design & Operations.

The winning solutions included AI-enabled platforms for weaver livelihoods, digital market access tools, eco-friendly dyeing and monitoring systems, and technology-based solutions for loom modernisation and design.

The winning teams represented KCG College of Technology, IIHT Salem, IIT Madras, Banaras Hindu University, Sri Eshwar College of Engineering, Kumaraguru College of Technology, KLB IIHT Hyderabad and Savinya Studio.

(KNN Bureau)