By – S. Bhubol
The uncooked Gazette baring No. MISCDP-1/13/2020-DP-DP-Part(2) dated the 28th August, 2026, and its raw ingredient Order issued by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Personnel Division) under No.TP-3/1/2022-DP-DP-Part(3) dated 15th September 2026, which facilitate entry of Manipur Civil Service (MCS) in the Director’s post of the Directorate of Handlooms and Textiles, are illegal play of intriguing in vested interest which is only to sabotaging the sanctity of handlooms and textiles heritage of the state of Manipur but also depriving the rights of the handlooms and textiles technologists of the state. Handlooms and textiles were just a Section under Directorate of Commerce & Industries, Manipur up to 2013 whose Head had been MCS / IAS Director as generalist category without giving technical focus. Because of lack of technical knowledge and negligence, the central funds under handloom development often lapsed due to deficiency of technical know-how of DPRs, implementations and preparation of U.C.s for schemes of clusters, looms, yarn and other welfare schemes.
Started from the early period of 2000 the weaving communities and stakeholders including the Handloom Promotion Council (HPC) started agitations demanding separate technical Directorate of Handlooms and Textiles and continued insistence from time to time upon the authorities concerned and the then Government of Manipur. Understanding the legitimacy of people’s demand the initial processes had taken place during the period between 2010-2013. Finally, Government of Manipur created separate Directorate of Handlooms & Textiles by bifurcating from the then Commerce & Industries, Manipur on 30th December, 2026. The RR under No. RRDP-6/5/2021-DP-DP dated 06-05-2022 for the post of Joint Director (handlooms and Textiles) which clearly states the line of promotion to director by promotion from Joint Director (Technical) having technical experience, and it was done to protect technical character of handlooms and textiles that was still retained up to effective of Gazette No. RRDP/1/2026 dated 23rd January, 2026.
Unfortunately, by publication of a controversial Gazette No.MISCDP-1/13/2020-DP-DP-Part(2) dated 28th August, 2026 which accommodated MCS for the first in the Director’s post of Handlooms and Textiles, and subsequently issued an Order No.TP-3/1/2022-DP-DP-Part(3) dated 15th September, 2026 an MCS has been deputed as Director which is truly an act of DE-technicalization and sabotaging the very purpose of why the Handlooms and Textiles had been bifurcated as a technical Directorate in 2016. Such unruly act of accommodating MCS in Director’s post shall not only mean career death of technical cadres, having number at present not less than 1200 as employed and waiting for jobs, by permanently halting hope for promotion but also shall affect nearly 5 lakh weavers/artisans of the state by not properly implementing the technical schemes under NHDP of the offices of the DC (Handlooms & Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India. Bifurcation was done to take Handlooms out of MCS/IAS general control and give to technocrats. But posting MCS as Director again is similar to merging it back into Commerce & Industries and so kills the very purpose of bifurcation. Though a wrong step has been taken, it is better for the Government of Manipur to immediately revoke the illegitimate Gazette dated 28-09-2026 in the larger interest of weaving community as well as the handlooms and textiles technologists of the state, before facing massive uprising.
(The writer is formerly Chairman of National Research Centre (NRC), Manipur and presently a Handlooms and Textiles Entrepreneur)
