Good news for India’s vibrant sericulture sector! The Central Silk Board (CSB) has extended its impactful ‘Mera Resham Mera Abhiman’ (MRMA) initiative until Deepavali. This nationwide campaign is designed to boost India’s silk industry and empower countless farmers by transferring essential technology directly to them.
While the ‘My Silk My Pride’ program, launched by Union Minister for Textiles Giriraj Singh in Ranchi on June 19, 2025, was initially planned for 100 days, its core activities—farmer awareness, training sessions, and field demonstrations—really gained momentum towards the end of June.
Recognizing that farmers were immersed in Dasara and Navaratri celebrations in late September, the authorities thoughtfully decided to prolong the MRMA program. Instead of concluding on September 30, it will now continue for an additional ten days, leading up to the Deepavali festival.
Naresh Babu, CSB’s Joint Secretary (Tech), emphasized the crucial role of the MRMA program. He highlighted that sericulture provides livelihoods for over 9.7 million people across 26 states. “Even though India is the world’s second-largest silk producer, farmers often struggle to adopt cutting-edge technologies due to a lack of awareness and proper support,” he explained. The MRMA initiative was specifically created to close this vital ‘lab-to-land’ gap, bringing scientific advancements to the grassroots.
This extensive campaign saw 128 scientists from nine key CSB institutes, including research and seed units, alongside 80 sub-units, actively engaging with farmers. They reached remote areas across 25 states and one Union Territory, delivering awareness and training programs that covered all major silk varieties: mulberry, tasara, eri, and muga. In total, the MRMA program was implemented in 129 districts nationwide.
To date, over 1,300 events—including awareness drives, training courses, and practical field demonstrations—have successfully engaged approximately 68,000 farmers. With an extra 200 programs planned before Deepavali, the initiative aims to reach more than 75,000 farmers, significantly expanding its impact.
Beyond direct training, the program has been invaluable in helping scientists pinpoint specific “researchable” challenges faced by farmers. It has also enabled the documentation and adoption of innovative practices developed by the farmers themselves, fostering a two-way learning process.
As the ‘Silk Samagra’ program—designed to enhance silk production and quality to meet international standards—nears its March 2026 conclusion, the insights gathered from MRMA will be crucial. Mr. Babu stated that these findings would inform new policy directions, helping the CSB craft a fresh campaign to achieve India’s ambitious goal of producing 50,000 tonnes of raw silk annually by 2030.