April 5, 2024

India is known for its handloom industry. It requires artisanship to produce handloom and many times the whole family is involved in the family handloom business. However, do you know the length and breadth of the industry? This article elaborates on what a handloom industry is, an overview of the Indian handloom industry, examples of handlooms, schemes from the government and so on. What is the handloom industry? India is known for its handloom industry. It requires artisanship to produce handloom and many times the whole family is involved in the family handloom business. However, do you know the length and breadth of the industry? This article elaborates on what a handloom industry is, an overview of the Indian handloom industry, examples of handlooms, schemes from the government and so on. Examples of the handloom industry State Product Andhra Pradesh Kalamkari Arunachal Pradesh Apatani textile Assam Muga silk Eri silk Bihar (Cluster: Bhagalpur) Bhagalpuri silk Chattisgarh Kosa silk Goa Kunbi Gujarat Bandhani Haryana (Bighar Cluster) Panja Durries, home furnishings Himachal Pradesh (Kullu) Kullu shawls Jammu and Kashmir Pashmina silk (shawls and stoles), Raffal shawls, Jharkhand Kuchai silk Tussar silk Karnataka Mysore silk Kerala Kasavu Madhya Pradesh Chanderi silk Maharashtra (Cluster: Yeola) Paithani saree Manipur Phanek Meghalaya Mekhala Nagaland Naga shawls Odisha Sambalpuri cotton Rajasthan Kota Doria, Jaipuri Quilts, Punjab Phulkari Sikkim Lepcha Tamil Nadu (Kanchipuram region) Kanjeevaram or Kanchipuram silk Telangana (Gadwal, Bhoodan Pochampally) Pochampalli Ikat Gadwal cotton Tripura Pachra Uttar Pradesh (Clusters: Varanasi, Lucknow) Jacquard, Brocare, Chikankari West Bengal Gargad sarees The handloom industry involves the process of weaving and spinning by hand on a wooden structure known as a loom. Traditionally, it is a household industry and the whole family is involved in the operations. One of the unique features of the Indian handloom industry is knowledge and skills of weaving and hand-spinning are passed through generations. These artisans are usually based in villages and small towns. Indian handloom industry is usually identified by hand-spinning, weaving and printing styles that are unique to the region. For example, the Yeola region in Maharashtra is known for Paithani sarees that feature unique peacock-style designs weaved in the finest silk. Likewise, each region in India has its unique product. One of the key features of the Indian handloom industry is its geographical diversity. For example, Banarasi silk is produced in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh while production of Kanchipuram silk is located in the Southern state of Tamil Nadu. Handloom industry in India: Overview The handloom industry in India has a rich heritage and some handloom businesses date back to 3000 BC. Today, handloom weaving is the key economic driver of the cottage industry. According to Invest India, about 35 lakh people are directly or indirectly dependent on the handloom industry. The product line of the handloom industry includes sarees, shawls, bed linen, rugs, furnishings, and so on. Handloom products are exported globally. How is the present government encouraging the handloom industry? The government of India supports the handloom industry by implementing various schemes. Here are some of the popular schemes and initiatives launched by the government. National Handloom Development Programme (NDHP)- The government has launched NHDP to foster the growth of the handloom industry in the country. It aims at supporting the artisans, Self-help groups, NGOs and other co-operative societies. The scheme supports procuring raw materials, marketing, design, technology upgrades and so on. On a larger perspective, the NDHP scheme helps generate employment opportunities and thereby improve the socio-economic status of the artisans. Some key objectives of this scheme include: Offering concessional credit to artisans. Developing infrastructure and special projects including Indian Institutes of Handloom Technology (IIHT)-related projects Development of handloom clusters Enhancing existing infrastructure. Deploying innovative technologies. Assisting in marketing and promotions. Enabling R&D projects and cluster development. Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS)- This scheme aims at developing mega handloom clusters with world class infastucrure. Each cluster must have 15,000 or more looms. The scheme provides funding for various needs including technology upgrades, product development, Common Facility Centre (CFC), Marketing Complex, Dye House and Corpus Fund for Yarn Depot and so on. This scheme is implemented in eight clusters that include: Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Sivasagar (Assam), Virudhanagar (Tamil Nadu), Murshidabad (West Bengal), Prakasam & Guntur districts (Andhra Pradesh), Godda and neighbouring districts (Jharkhand), Bhagalpur (Bihar), and Trichy (Tamil Nadu). Raw Material Supply Scheme (RMSS)- Earlier known as the Yarn Supply Scheme (YSS) was modified and renamed as the Raw Material Supply Scheme (RMSS). Key objectives of the scheme include: Making quality yarns and blends available to handloom weavers at subsidised rates. Setting up benchmark prices and yarn quality Ensuring a consistent supply of quality yarns Overcoming the poor dyeing facilities in the sector Ensuring supply of dyed yarn by Implementing Agency (IA) Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY)- Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) is also known as the Mudra loan scheme. Although the scheme is applicable for MSMEs at large, all kinds of artisans are also eligible for the scheme. Through the Mudra scheme artisans of handloom units can avail loan of up to ₹10 lakh. Some of the key benefits of the scheme include: No collateral required Zero processing charges No minimum loan amount Lower interest rate Foreign direct investment (FDI)- The government has allowed 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in the textile and apparel industry including the handloom industry. According to Invest India, the textiles and apparel industry attracted more than $4.07 billion in FDI from April 2000 – December 2022. How to start and grow in the handloom business? You can either have a loom or establish a retail business selling handloom products. It is extremely important to conduct a SWOT analysis of the business. Analyse strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in detail before starting a business. It is also important to increase your product knowledge about the operations, manufacturing processes, market trends, and so on. Collaboration is necessary for all businesses. In the case of setting up a manufacturing unit, you can collaborate with dealers and

Petrol pump business is a lucrative business with good returns is a general perception among the significant proportion of total population in our country. However, petrol pump profitability has been transformed dramatically over the past decades. The growing number of vehicles across our country has led to an increase in fuel demands and ultimately increases the need for petrol pumps. According to the reports, an average petrol pump sells almost five lakh litres of fuel, petrol and diesel every month in India. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is a Government of India controlled Navratna oil and gas company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The corporation operates 14,675 Petrol Pumps all over India. Locations for HPCL Retail Outlet HPCL decides the location for setting up the dealership after studying the feasibility. After that, HPCL releases advertisement for the locations identified. Accordingly, regular and rural HPCL retail outlets will also be set up by the company. Regular HPCL Retail Outlet (ROs): Locations on highways (NH/SH) urban and semi-urban areas Rural HPCL Retail Outlet (ROs): Locations in rural regions but not on highways (NH/SH) HPCL Retail Outlet Sites S.No    Type of Site    Status of Land & Facilities   1 CFS Sites (Locations under Corpus Fund Scheme)    The offered land for outlet will be taken on purchased or lease-purchase and fully developed as the corporation owned site.   2 2    “A”/ “CC” sites (Other Corporation Owned Sites)    The offered land will be taken on  purchased or lease and fully developed as the corporation owned site   3 Company Leased Site    The offered land along with superstructure need to be developed by the dealer, and it will be taken on lease by HPCL. 4 “B”, “DC” sites (Dealer Owned sites)    The offered land and the superstructure will need to be developed by the dealer. Petrol & Diesel pump, tank, automation, signage, etc. will be provided by the HPCL. Eligibility Criteria for Opening HPCL Retail Outlet Eligibility Criteria for individual applicants for Partnership or Proprietorship of HPCL retail outlet is described below. A resident of India (as per Income tax rules) can own an HPCL Petrol Pump Age of the applicant should more than 21 years and not more than 55 years except for freedom fighters under the CC2 category. For operating a rural HPCL ROs, the applicant should have the minimum qualification of 10th standard For establishing regular HPCL ROs, the applicant should have the minimum qualification of HSC level of examination conducted by a board or university Eligibility Criteria – Finance For regular HPCL ROs, the fund requirements for eligibility will be Rs. 25 lakhs and in respect of Rural HPCL ROs the fund requirement for eligibility will be Rs. 12 lakhs. The funds can be in the following forms: Funds in savings accounts, deposits with a bank Companies or Postal Schemes Company shares National Savings Schemes Mutual Funds Note: Only 60% of the certified value (for shares, mutual funds & bonds) will be considered for eligibility. Eligibility Criteria for Entity (Non-Individual Applicants) Non-individual applicant or entity refers to Government bodies or agencies, societies registered under Societies Registration Act or societies registered under co-operative societies Act,  or co-operative societies act as enacted by concerned states, charitable trusts registered with the charity commissioner, companies formed under the Companies Act (except Pvt. Ltd. companies). Residential status: The entity should be registered in India Age: The date of Registration or incorporation of the firm or entity should be at least three years Land: Concerning land, all conditions covered for individuals would apply excepting clauses are given for land owned by the family unit. Finance: All conditions covered for individuals will be applied excepting finance offered by the family unit. Investment Details – HPCL Retail Outlet The capital investment required for setting up of an HPCL petrol pump outlet varies from location to location depending on the cost of land, size of plot and facilities needed to be developed to meet the requirements of consumers in the trading area of the HPCL retail outlet. The approximate investments required for the development of infrastructure and facilities at New HPCL retail outlets will be indicated in the advertisement. Bidding amount In case of dealer-owned or company leased sites, a non-refundable fixed fee of Rs. 5 lakhs for Rural HPCL retail outlet and Rs. 15 lakhs for Regular HPCL retail outlet will be payable. In case of HP corporation owned sites involving bidding for allotment, the minimum bidding amount of Rs. 10 lakhs for Rural HPCL retail outlet and Rs. 30 lakhs for regular retail outlets will be payable. The applicant needs to deposit Rs. 50,000 for Rural HPCL ROs and Rs. 1.5 lakhs for Regular HPCL retail outlets. HPCL Retail Outlet Application Fee Application fee of Rs.100 for Rural HPCL ROs have to be paid, and price for SC/ST applicant is Rs.50 For applying regular HPCL retail outlet application fee of Rs.1000 have to be paid. Fee for SC/ST category is only Rs.500. Note: The application fees have to be paid in the form of demand draft in favour of the HPCL. Documents Required Following documents need to be furnished to apply for HPCL retail outlet dealership. Residence certificate Proof of age – Secondary School Leaving Certificate, birth certificate, passport or voter ID For educational qualification from overseas universities, or boards, an equivalent certificate issued by the competent authority or State Government or Central Government Redemption value – Valuation certificates along with a copy of NSC Valuation certificates along with a copy of the demat statement Registered societies or companies should have made a net profit for the previous three consecutive financial years duly certified by a Chartered Accountant Copy of Passbook, account statement, deposit receipts Valuation certificates and a copy of mutual fund certificates or demat statements Documents Required for Ownership Proof The applicant should submit at least any one of the following materials in support of ownership of land offered for the HPCL Dealership: Khasra or Khatauni or any other equivalent revenue document or certificate from revenue officers confirming the status of the purchase of

The Indian Copyright Act, 1957 provides the provisions to grant the copyright of unique work. Copyright ensures musical, creative, artistic, emotional, architectural, cinematograph films, computer programmes and sound recordings. Copyright in sound recordings is fairly limited and restricted than copyright in different works. Copyright of Sound Recording in India A sound recording is dependent on a series of sounds that don’t go with varying audiovisual work. Copyright in sound recordings is to some degree restricted than copyright, in different words—it includes an option to perform the work to people in general, however as it were “Using a computerized sound recording.” Performing a sound recording to people in general in a compatible way doesn’t include copyright in the sound recording. At the point when a sound recording is restrictive on a musical work, a few uses of the sound recording include the musical work. On such occasions, if a licence is required, it should be acquired from the rights holder of the work. Key features for Copyright of Sound Recording in India There should be “originality” in musical work or sound recording and the original work should be submitted. Copyright in sound recording should permit the total rights in the allotment, licensing the work and limiting others from using the work. There should be tangibility of the creation. If there should be an occurrence of contractual terms, assuming the sound recordings are finished by appointing the lyricist or vocalist, the employer that authorises the agent is known to be the First Owner of the Copyright Benefits of Copyright of Sound Recording in India Copyright of Sound Recording is a lawful Declaration, which is utilized to pass on the rights that the owner holds over his work. The owner can recognize the responsibility for work when the copyright of sound recording is acquired. Hence, it is essential for a person to enlist for a copyright licence to protect its work. The advantages of the copyright of sound recordings are: Protection to different components, for example, sound, the composition of music, verses, recording the sound recording on tape and so forth is given. The rights existing in sound recording can be licensed, assigned and reassigned. The owner has the copyright of sound recording can keep the work in any mode and just as replicate it. The owner has an option to make any changes in the work and furthermore play out the work in public. The owner has the privilege to make a legitimate move and sue the individual who is using his protected work unlawfully and can carry him to the court for breaching the copyright. The owner likewise has a privilege to have his name distributed in all copies of his work when he has the copyright of sound recording. The Copyright Act denies and limits the misrepresentation and modification of the first work of the owner. Documents required for Copyright of Sound Recording in India A Statement of Particulars is required on the off chance that the work should have been given copyright isn’t unique. Additionally, the Statement of Further Particulars is required. If the copyright application is being filed for the benefit of the author by some other individual, the NOC is required. In both cases (published and unpublished), one duplicate of the work is required. Likewise, details of the year of publication. Particulars of fee payment. A copy of Acknowledgment Slip. If the creator is perished, NOC from the legitimate successors to the expired owner for the candidate. Power of Attorney is needed by the candidate on the off chance that the application is filed by the attorney. Process to obtain the Copyright of Sound Recording in India By acquiring the Copyright for Sound recording, the owner sets up the lawful claim over the work. It likewise fills in as an important document for the public record of ownership. It permits the owner to sue a violator for unlawful utilization of the work and furthermore claim penal damages for the loss that happened because of such reproduction. The technique for Copyright for Sound Recording is as per the following:- The candidate will make an application on Form XIV. Where the application includes Statement of Particulars and Statement of Further Particulars. Individual applications ought to be made for registration of each work. When the receipt of the application is received, 30 days compulsory cooling-off period begins, during which issues with the award of such copyright can be recorded. In the event that complaints are raised, all such protests are investigated and the candidate is needed to give an answer on something similar and after hearing the two parties, the Registrar will give a certificate of Copyright for Sound Recording. FAQs What is a sound recording? A sound recording is a recording of sounds, words, or music fixed in any tangible medium, such as a digital file, tape, or CD. It includes both recorded music and spoken words. Who owns the copyright of a sound recording in India? In India, the copyright of a sound recording is typically owned by the producer of the sound recording. The producer is the person who takes the initiative and responsibility for making the recording. What is copyright? Copyright is a form of intellectual property protection granted to the creators of original works, including sound recordings. It gives the creator exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, perform, and adapt their work. 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Customer feedback is information given from your customers about the quality of your product, customer service or any processes or transactions at your company. It’s all about meeting customer requirements. In fact, there is no better and more reliable source of knowledge about your company than customer feedback. What is customer feedback? Customer feedback is information customers share with you about their experience with your products or services and any interaction they’ve had with your company. This feedback can be indirect or direct. For example, customers can openly discuss your brand on social media without tagging you (indirect) or leave product reviews and comments on your business’ website (direct). Why is customer feedback important? Customer feedback is important because it tells you how they feel about your business. You’ll learn what they like about your offer and areas where you can improve. Without this feedback, you won’t know if you satisfy the people you exist for — your customers. You won’t know if they use your product as intended and even if they want to continue doing business with you Benefits of Customer Feedback 1. Customer feedback helps you learn about your audience on a deeper level- Your business likely conducted extensive market research and buyer persona research to understand your target audience and how they relate to your business. While you probably gathered valuable insight, nothing is more valuable than the insight that comes directly from your customers, which is what customer feedback is. They’ll let you know more about themselves, how they use your products and services, and what they expect from you. When you understand more about them and who they are, you can create experiences that speak directly to their needs. Customers also already expect that the brands they do business with understand their needs and champion them in their processes. Case in point: 73% of consumers worldwide expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations. Over half of consumers say they’ll become repeat buyers after a personalized experience. 80% of business leaders say consumers spend an average of 38% more when their experience is personalized. 2. Customer feedback gives you insight into customer satisfaction levels – Customer satisfaction is how happy customers are with your products, services, and any interaction with your business. It’s an important metric as it helps you address customer issues, prevent churn, and build a base of loyal customers. Specific ways of collecting customer feedback, namely customer satisfaction surveys, tell you exactly how your customers feel and how satisfied they are.Katie Cort, a Senior Customer Onboarding Specialist, says, “If the company does not have a way of knowing whether or not their customers are happy — things like retention will not improve!” 3. Customer feedback helps support teams develop their skills- The support you offer customers directly impacts their success with your products or services. Customer feedback helps you ensure that your support teams can help customers succeed as it can provide specific insight into rep performance.  “Customer feedback is a very important tool for managers to get anecdotal feedback directly from the customer as one of the many pieces for measuring team members’ performance.” To get this feedback, you can send follow-up surveys after support calls to ask customers how satisfied they are with the help they received.  “Reps get to see the feedback, and that’s really helpful for training and learning what could be improved and what we can continue doing.” Teams that use customer feedback to build and improve their skills are better suited to meet customer needs and create delightful experiences. 4. Customer feedback helps you improve your products and services- Customers sometimes give feedback that mentions a negative experience they’ve had. While it may seem disheartening, this feedback actually helps you improve your products and business operations, especially if you use it to make changes. For example, customers who consistently mention a pain point in your onboarding process telling you that you might need to give additional clarification and update your process to ensure it runs smoothly. Using this type of customer feedback also ensures you’re not making changes on an assumption but rather on the actual thoughts and feelings that come from those who matter most. 5. Customer feedback helps you attract new customers- Customer reviews are a form of feedback, and consumers often rely on it when it comes to making purchasing decisions: 98%of customers read online reviews for local businesses. User-generated content, which reviews are, is 8.7x more impactfulthan influencer content and 6.6x more impactful than branded content. 69% of consumers would feel positive about using a business with reviews describing a positive experience. The stats above simply show that customers want to hear from your existing customers and their experiences with you. When you collect and ask for reviews, you’re giving potential customers the information they look for when deciding whether to purchase, helping you with customer acquisition. 6. Customer feedback helps you initiate conversations with dissatisfied customers- Customer feedback can help you identify dissatisfied customers to begin a dialogue with and open the opportunity to make it right and change the course of your relationship. Their feedback about their situation also helps you learn their pain points and identify possible areas for improvement in your operations. Opening a dialogue with these customers and using their feedback to make changes helps you increase customer loyalty, as 83%of customers agree that they feel more loyal to brands that respond to and resolve their complaints. How to Get Feedback from Customers Send follow-up emails after you have provided a service to a customer and ask for their feedback. Use social listening to see how customers are talking about you online. Monitor heatmaps on your website to see where customers spend the most time. Conduct customer interviews. Offer incentives for providing feedback. Overall, hearing what customers say about you helps you make changes to your business processes and offers, inspire loyalty, and better serve your audiences. So, when you want to hear from them, just ask — they’re likely to share. FAQs What is