Implement ‘Chenetha bandhu’ for handloom weavers, urges Padmashali sangham

K M Dayashankar

National Handlooms day on Saturday

Provide financial assistance of Rs 2,000 per month to weaver on par with farmers on the lines of rythu bandhu scheme

Discourage exhibitions of products made on powerlooms

Place bulk orders to weaver school uniforms and other fabric for govt requirements

KARIMNAGAR: The Karimnagar District Padmashali sangham has urged the state government to immediately “Chenetha bandhu” scheme and provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the bereaved families of the weavers who have died of various reasons.

On the eve of National Handlooms day celebrations on Saturday, District Padmashali sangham president Vasala Ramesh had sent a memorandum to Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and Minister for IT and Handlooms K Taraka Rama Rao and others appealing the government to rescue the distressed handloom weavers on Friday. Following the prevailing crisis in the handloom sector, he urged the government to constitute a Cabinet sub-committee with experts to introduce welfare schemes for the weavers and their upliftment.

He said that the government should provide financial assistance of Rs 2,000 per month to each handloom weaver on par with the farmers on the lines of Rythu bandhu scheme to help them take up the ancient handloom weaving profession.  He said that the government should supply yarn on subsidy to the weavers.

With regard to the weavers, who have committed suicide and died of starvation over the past few years, he said that the government should identify such families and provide them with compensation of providing government employment, double bedroom house, ration card and financial assistance. He suggested that the government should impart special training to the weavers’ children to upgrade their skills through TASK and make them employable in the textile industry.

Expressing concern over other states conducting exhibitions by the products produced on powerlooms, he said that the government should ban such exhibitions and encourages only handlooms. The weavers affected through Covid-19 and displaced due to unemployment should be provided with financial assistance to take up the alternate sources of employment.

Demanding the government to allocate a Rs 1,000 corpus fund to TESCO on the lines of APCO, he said that TESCO should purchase the products produced by the handloom weavers immediately. He also sought the revival of the closed Weavers cooperative societies by providing them with the necessary financial support.

Urging the government to provide health cards to all the weavers, he said that the government should provide insurance coverage to the handloom weavers by paying the necessary premium. He said that the government should place bulk orders to the handloom weavers to weave school uniforms and other requirements needed for the government offices and hospitals to provide regular sources of income to handloom weavers.

He said that the government should take measures to appoint a weaver community leader as the board of directors in the district cooperative credit bank (DCCB). He said that the weavers’ children should be enrolled on the residential schools for quality education.

hindudayashankar