The High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Her Excellency Mrs. Nirupama Rao today gifted eight TARA (Technology and Action for Rural Advancement) handlooms and accessories to the Tsunami affected weavers of Maruthumunai (Amparai district) and Ollikulam (Batticaloa district) villages of in a simple ceremony held at the High Commission of India. Hon'ble Mr. Jayatissa Ranaweera, Minister of Textile Industry Development & Deputy Minister of Mahaweli Development, senior Government of Sri Lanka officials, representatives of NGOs and weavers from the area were present at the occasion.

The project was initiated by the High Commission of India after extensive travel by H.E. Mrs. Nirupama Rao in the Tsunami affected areas of the country and is a part of India's assistance in Tsunami rehabilitation to Sri Lanka. The High Commission worked with the ASARIM Foundation and other stakeholders including Government of Sri Lanka and NGOs working in the area for the project with the objective of providing traction to a larger programme for the revival of the handloom industry in Eastern Sri Lanka, which has always been well known for handloom weaving especially sari and sarong production. The entire cost of the project was borne by Government of India

It is expected that this handloom project will provide critical support in livelihood and capacity building to the beneficiaries, who would primarily be women from all religions and communities. The project was also supported by the India-Sri Lanka Foundation which sent Mr. P.L. Mutthiah, former Director of Lanka Fabrics Ltd for two-week training in handloom technology at TARA, New Delhi.

TARA loom is an ingenuous machine that incorporates advanced features to improve the efficiency and productivity of the weaver and the quality of the woven fabric with existing levels of operational skills. It is manually operated and is ergonomically designed so that it conforms to the traditional workmanship.

High Commission of India is also committed to undertake more Small Development Projects in Sri Lanka in areas such as technical and vocational training, health and education infrastructure, IT in rural areas, rural roads etc. These projects will be identified and implemented in cooperation with the Government of Sri Lanka