Context

The State government of Assam has decided to provide khadi shirts, and shawls and stoles made of ‘Eri’--a variety of silk produced in Assam-- to grade IV employees in a phased manner.

The above step aims to promote the Khadi industry in order to endorsing an ideology of self-reliance and empowerment.

About

What is Eri silk?

• The word ‘Eri’ is inspired from the Assamese word ‘era’ which means castor. 
• Eri Silk is one of the purest forms of Silk that is a true and genuine product of the Samia cynthia ricini worm.
• Eri Silk is called the father of all forms of cultured and textured Silks.
• It is the only domesticated silk produced in India, as the process doesn’t involve any killing of the silk worm, also naming Eri silk as ‘Ahimsa (ahinsa) silk or fabric of peace.
• Around forty percent of Eri Silk is produced in Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Bihar, Orrisa, Karnataka, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand.
• The bulk of Eri Silk production gives Assam the name of Eri Silk state.
• The unique thing in Eri silk is the type of cocoon. Its fiber is not reeled. The cocoon is open-ended and the moth emerges or worm is extracted.
  • All other silk cocoons require boiling in hot water to reel the continuous fibers.

Silk varieties found in India There are four types of natural silk produced in India for commercial purposes. These are known as Mulberry silk: Among these four kinds, the mulberry silk contributes to more than 80% of the silk produced in the country.  Tasar silk: It is primarily produced in the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.  Muga silk: An exclusive specialty of Assam, the Muga silk is one of the rarest silks produced in the world. This silk is produced by the larva of a silkworm named Assam silkmoth (Antheraea assamensis). Eri silk:  It comes from the silkworm Philosomia ricini that feeds mostly on the leaves of the castor plant, Ricinus communis.