Handloom weavers get a leg up as govt waives loans up to Rs 1 lakh

Hyderabad: It is good news for the weaving community. The government on Sunday announced waiver of handloom loans up to Rs 1 lakh and also sanctioned Rs 33 crore.

The Government issued GO No 56 waiving off loans of up to Rs 1 lakh to handloom workers and sanctioning Rs 33 crore. Speaking on the occasion, Textiles Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said that the government had taken many policy decisions during the year to bring the handloom sector back on track, which was neglected by the previous government. He said that as soon as the Congress government came to power, government orders GO No. 1, I&C (TEX) on March 11, 2024 were issued and steps were taken to purchase from TGSCO. This would not only provide continuous employment to the weavers, but will also help in improving their livelihoods and the development of the handloom industry.

The Minister said that Konda Laxman Bapuji Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT) was established to keep abreast of the new technology in the handloom sector and to upgrade skills from time to time. The Minister said that a three-year diploma course (DHTT) will be offered to 60 students every year.

To address the long-term demand of powerloom workers, the government has established a yarn depot in Vemulawada, Rajanna Sircilla district and a corpus fund of Rs 50 crore was sanctioned for this. He recalled that the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had said steps would be taken to implement the ‘Telangana Chenetha Abhayahastha Scheme’ and for the year 2024-25, the government has decided to implement this scheme with a fund of Rs 168 crore. He said that Rs 290.09 crore was released through the Netanna Cheyutha Scheme and 36,133 handloom workers were benefited.

He said that the government has decided to provide insurance of Rs 10 lakh under the Netanna Bima Scheme, remove the age limit and provide insurance facility for the duration of the weavers’ profession. The Minister stated that they are providing continuous employment to the weavers by purchasing stocks from handloom cooperative societies and releasing the relevant payments on time.