Government spent 636 crore for welfare of weavers: Jagan

Amaravati: Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy took to Twitter to greet weavers on the National Handloom Day, stating that Andhra Pradesh is one of the most important states in the handloom industry, with the second-largest concentration of weavers in India. "We are proud of our weaver community and are making every effort to preserve the rich textile heritage of the state. YSR Nethanna Nestham has provided annual assistance of Rs 24,000 to all eligible weaver families for two consecutive years, positively impacting the lives of all the weavers, especially during the Covid-19 induced lockdown," he said in a post. As promised during his Praja Sankalpa Yatra, the Chief Minister launched Nethanna Nestham on December 21, to provide financial assistance of Rs 24,000 per year to weavers having a loom and successfully done in for two consecutive years.

Under the scheme, every eligible weaver who has a loom in the house received Rs 24,000 incentive benefiting 81,783 families accounting for nearly Rs 200 crore per year. Despite the coronavirus outbreak in the state, the state government didn't back out on the implementation of welfare schemes and for the second year in a row, Nethanna Nestham was given on June 20, which is six months before the actual deadline.

Apart from the financial aid, in the times of Covid pandemic, the state government had purchased cloth from APCO by spending Rs 109 crore and gave orders to women SHGs for making masks. The state government had also cleared the dues of the previous government to a tune of Rs 103 crore to APCO taking the total amount spent during the 13 months in office to about Rs 600 crore.

In 2019-20, the textile and handlooms department had spent Rs 226.78 crore towards various welfare activities including Nethanna Nestham, interest subsidy, 40 per cent yarn subsidy, 50 per cent subsidy to power loom units and establishment of NIFT.

As many as 1,24,963 were benefited through welfare schemes under the textiles and handloom department. Similarly, in 2020-21, the department had spent Rs 409.26 crore including Nethanna Nestham, clearing debts to APCO and purchasing material for making masks, taking the number of beneficiaries to 1,48,999. In the span of 13 months, the state government utilised Rs 636.04 crore by benefiting 2,73,962 people. Besides taking up the welfare activities, to boost the handloom sector in the state, the Chief Minister brought an idea of e-platforms, through which marketing of handloom and handicrafts can be done easily. The state government is planning to launch the initiative on October 2 this year.