Smriti Irani gives big boost to starving weavers

Union Cabinet Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani trended through the day on Monday with a new initiative: promoting and encouraging weavers by sharing a picture wearing a handloom outfit. The minister shared a picture of herself dressed in a handwoven silk sari from Bihar, hashtagged #IWearHandloom. Smriti urged the people to follow suit and share pictures of themselves in handloom textiles, tagging five others. "Indian handlooms symbolise India's heritage & culture. Wear it to carry on our rich tradition and support 43 lakh weavers & their families," she tweeted before sharing her photo. She tagged Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Puducherry Lieutenant-Governor Kiran Bedi. The tweet got over 7000 likes. Kiran Bedi and Fadnavis tweeted their pictures in handloom followed by a host of other celebrities and non-celebrities.