Gadkari to inaugurate Dhapewada Textile hub in Nagpur

Key Takeaways

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate the Dhapewada Textile new building and handloom industry complex on 17 October 2026 .

The event is scheduled at 3:00 PM at Mouza Varoda, Dhapewada, Nagpur .

BJP leaders Giriraj Singh and Hema Malini are tagged as expected participants.

The facility targets the handloom weaving community of Vidarbha , Maharashtra's eastern region.

The project fits a broader national pattern of cluster-level textile infrastructure investment for artisan communities.

Vidarbha's handloom weavers are set for a landmark moment. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced the inauguration of the Dhapewada Textile new building and a dedicated handloom industry complex in Nagpur — an event billed as the opening of an ambitious new chapter for the region's weaving community.

Posting on X, Gadkari described the event as 'विदर्भ के हथकरघा उद्योग के नए महत्वाकांक्षी पर्व का शुभारंभ' — 'the beginning of a new ambitious chapter for Vidarbha's handloom industry.' The ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, 17 October 2026, at 3:00 PM at Mouza Varoda, Dhapewada, Nagpur. Union Minister Giriraj Singh and BJP MP Hema Malini have been tagged, signalling their expected presence at the event.

Dhapewada's place in Vidarbha's textile story

Vidarbha, the eastern region of Maharashtra that Gadkari calls home, has long carried a dual identity — an agrarian heartland shadowed by farmer distress, and a zone with deep roots in handloom and cotton-textile craftsmanship. Dhapewada, a village in Nagpur district, sits within this tradition. The new textile building represents cluster-level infrastructure investment of the kind successive central governments have channelled through the Ministry of Textiles, aiming to consolidate artisan capacity, modernise working conditions, and create durable employment for weavers.

Handloom clusters across Maharashtra have faced sustained pressure from power-loom competition and fluctuating cotton prices. Dedicated infrastructure — purpose-built weaving sheds, common facility centres, and direct market-linkage spaces — has been the policy response. Whether this Dhapewada facility follows that architecture will become clearer once it is operational.

Why Giriraj Singh and Hema Malini are in the frame

Giriraj Singh, who has held portfolios linked to rural industries and micro-enterprise development, brings a natural alignment to a handloom inauguration. Hema Malini, the BJP MP from Mathura, has been a visible face at party events across states. Their tagging by Gadkari underlines the political weight the ruling party is attaching to this regional rollout — handloom is not merely cottage industry; it is electoral optics, cultural identity, and livelihood policy wrapped in a single thread.

For Gadkari, who represents Nagpur in the Lok Sabha, inaugurating a textile facility in his own backyard deepens his connect with Vidarbha's artisan economy — a constituency beyond highways and flyovers.

Point of View

Cluster-level textile infrastructure has become a standard instrument in the BJP's rural-economy playbook, threading together Make in India, artisan welfare, and visible on-ground delivery ahead of state-level electoral cycles.

NationPress

17 Oct 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What is being inaugurated at Dhapewada in Nagpur?

The Dhapewada Textile new building and a handloom industry complex are being inaugurated at Mouza Varoda, Dhapewada, Nagpur, on 17 October 2026.

Who is inaugurating the Dhapewada textile complex?

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is inaugurating the facility, with BJP leaders Giriraj Singh and Hema Malini also expected to attend.

What is the significance of handloom industry in Vidarbha?

Vidarbha has a long tradition of cotton and handloom weaving. Dedicated cluster infrastructure is designed to protect weavers from power-loom competition and improve their market access.

What time is the Dhapewada textile inauguration event?

The event is scheduled for 3:00 PM on Saturday, 17 October 2026, at Mouza Varoda, Dhapewada, Nagpur.

Why is Nitin Gadkari involved in a textile project?

Gadkari is the BJP MP from Nagpur and a senior leader with deep ties to Vidarbha, making constituency-level development events — including textile infrastructure — a natural part of his public engagement.