(i) Handicrafts producers adopted a new technology which helped in improving the production without excessively pushing up the costs. (ii) By the second decade of the Twentieth century, most of the weavers started using looms with a fly shuttle. This increased productivity per worker, speeded up production, and reduced the labour demand. By 1941. over 35 per cent of handlooms in India were fitted with fly shuttles: in regions like Travancore,Madras (Chennai) Mysore, Cochin and Bengal where the proportion was 70 to 80 per cent. (iii) There were several other small innovations that helped weavers to improve their productivity, and compete with the mill sector.