The traditional cotton textile industry of India suffered a setback during the colonial period because of competition from mill-made cloth from England. In England cotton textiles were produced in large quantities with the help of powerloom. The surplus was sold in India for profit as India was then a colony of England. Mill-made cloth was cheaper on account of large scale production. On the other hand, our traditional textiles used ancient techniques like hand- spinning and handloom weaving. Hence, its production could not compete with mill-made cloth of England.