Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Irani observed that advanced tools and skill training to the weavers in the country will give enhanced capacity. <br/><br/>Ms. Irani, in Vijayawada today, gave away certificates to those who completed their training under "Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata Sammelan" for handloom weavers organised by the Ministry of Textiles. <br/><br/>She also distributed Pehachaan identity cards to artisans at a function. The Artisans Identity Card Number is seeded with Aadhar and the bank account of the beneficiary. The new Artisan ID Card is new universal identity for artisans, which is more informative and will facilitate the benefits of various schemes of Central Government flow directly into their accounts.<br/><br/>Ms. Irani said, Government of India has been promoting and encouraging handloom sector through a number of programmes and schemes. Various policy initiatives and scheme interventions like cluster approach, aggressive marketing initiative and social welfare measures, she observed that the handloom sector has shown positive growth with rise in the income level of weavers.