Handloom weavers are facing hardship in carrying out their livelihood on handloom due to competition with power loom sector, marketing problem, infrastructural constraints and rising yarn prices. Similarly, the constraining features in the handicrafts sector are scarcity of appropriate raw material, lack of infrastructural facilities, lack of working capital, lack of knowledge about appropriate technology, lack of entrepreneurial skills among artisans and competition from machine made products.
To solve the problem of credit being faced by the weavers, the Union Finance Minister in his budget speech (2011-12) has provided a financial package worth Rs.3000 crore for handloom weavers cooperative societies. This package will benefit approximately 15000 weavers’ societies and 3 lakh weavers across the country by writing off their overdue loans & interest. In order to address other problems faced by handloom weavers, five developmental and welfare schemes for weavers are being implemented by the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) during the ensuing XI Plan, which are:
1)Integrated Handlooms Development Scheme
2)Handloom Weaver's Comprehensive Welfare Scheme
3)Marketing & Export Promotion Scheme
4)Diversified Handloom Development Scheme
5)Mill Gate Price Scheme.
Similarly, the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) is implementing following schemes for promotion and development of Handicraft sector and to solve the problems being faced by the Handicrafts artisans:
(i)Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana (AHVY)
(ii)Marketing Support and Services
(iii)Design and Technology Upgradation
(iv)Research and Development
(v)Human Resource Development and
(vi)Welfare Scheme for Handicrafts Artisans
Suitable monitoring system is already in place for proper implementation of the aforesaid welfare schemes for the Weavers and handicrafts artisans. The implementation of the schemes are monitored regularly by the Officers both of the Offices of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) and Development Commissioner (Handicrafts). Progress of the schemes are also monitored by Senior officers of the Office of Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) and Secretary (Textiles). Based on the feedback, future interventions are decided. In order to make the implementation more effective, guidelines have been framed which are periodically revised to further strengthen the monitoring system.
This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles, Smt. Panabaaka Lakshmi, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
