Kavuri calls for meet on AP weavers

Rs 2.6cr relief funds mobilised for Uttarakhand

New Delhi : Union Textiles Minister Kavuri Sambasiva Rao has said that he intends to hold a meeting on the issue of Andhra Pradesh handloom weavers in Hyderabad on June 27. He added he would speak to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to see if he could be present at that meeting which is intended to give a fillip to textiles industry in the State. The issues to be discussed in the meeting include minimum support price to cotton-growing farmers, relief to weavers and related issues.

Kavuri announced that the textile industry has jointly committed Rs 2.6 crore to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund, in view of the Uttarakhand tragedy. Starting Monday, Kavuri will be visiting Mumbai and Coimbatore to hold meetings with the textile industry representatives through their associations to seek their assistance, either in cash or kind, for the relief and succor of the victims of the Uttarakhand tragedy. Kavuri also mooted Price Stabilization Fund, which is still at the idea level, and expected the cotton crop output to be around 340 lakh bales.

Meanwhile, Union Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Minister Girija Vyas assured that her ministry will extend full support to Uttarakhand for providing livelihood to the displaced people under the Scheme of Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY). Necessary financial help will also be provided for reconstruction of houses in the urban areas/towns through its flagship programme "Rajiv Awas Yojana" (RAY).