Distress looms over weavers

Rajahmundry: The plight of about 20,000 handloom weavers in East Godavari district is unimaginable as handloom cloth worth Rs 10 crore was piled up with the weavers’ societies.

The weavers are now looking forward to the government to come to their rescue by lifting the entire stock. The weavers told The Hans India that the TDP had promised to bail them out from the agony but till date it had not taken up any steps in that direction.

The weavers used to get health insurance up to Rs 15,000 by paying premium of Rs 100 in the past but with the Union Ministry of Textiles had brought in a new scheme called Rashtreeya Swastha Bheema Yojana which is not being implemented making their lives miserable, they said.

Chairman of the State Federation of Weavers Cooperative Society Dontamsetty Virupaksha lamented that the government was turning a blind eye to the woes of the weavers and the plight of the weavers has become compounded. He said APCO has failed to assist the weavers.

He demanded that the government should start the Janata Cloth Scheme as promised earlier which would give business of Rs 500 crore. He asked the government to announce one-time discount for the products remained with the societies.

NABARD had sanctioned Rs 13 crore cash credit limit for the societies in the district. Normally APCO purchases livery cloth worth of about Rs 6 crore which is earmarked for the government institutions for uniforms in schools and hospitals and blankets and general variety cloth.

Though there is demand for handloom cloth, weavers continue to suffer as the stocks have piled up and cannot survive without discount from the government as the production cost is high in comparison with the power loom cloths. However, APCO director Muppana Veerraju informed that only 40 out of 50 handloom weavers’ cooperative societies in East Godavari district are running in losses.

He observed that the cost of yearn and dyes are skyrocketing and the cost of production is going up. He mentioned that the new generation is not taking up weaving as profession due to lack of low income and the youth is choosing either small jobs like security personnel and tailoring or education due to the implementation of fee re-imbursement.

The plight of the weavers is very pathetic in the district. But the weavers are not leaving the profession as they do not know any other work. They are trying their level best to survive by innovating new designs to attract the market.

Angara Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society President Venkateswara Rao said that he had a stock of Rs 1.75 crore with his society this year and the society is in losses as it has to pay the interest to banks. Though APCO is purchasing cloths from the societies, he lamented that that it takes about one year for the payment.

He mentioned that a family earns about Rs 100 to Rs 120 per day which is very low. But, some weavers’ societies are happy with the assistance of the central government and expecting more benefits from the state government as well. Mori Handloom Weaver’s Cooperative Society President Chinta Veerabhadreswara Rao said the Central government is implementing several schemes for the benefit of weavers.

He said the Central government has sanctioned assistance of Rs Six crore for the East Godavari and added that his society has received Rs 50 lakh. He added that the Centre implement the promised discount scheme and lift the piled up stocks of handloom cloth so that the units which are in distress can be revived.

Assistant Director of the Handlooms and Textiles K Kanna Babu said the state government is considering the demand of the weavers of discount. He added that government is making efforts to uplift weavers by providing interest subsidy, yarn subsidy, funds for weaving appliances and initiatives to bring new designs.

By Samson Raj