VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has announced plans to establish a Handloom Museum in Amaravati and provide an annual financial assistance of `25,000 to each handloom family under the Nethanna Bharosa scheme.
Addressing an event marking the 11th national handloom day in Mangalagiri on Thursday, the chief minister said the state government is committed to doubling the income of handloom weavers across the state.
Naidu visited the Weaversala that had been set up earlier with support from education minister Nara Lokesh. He interacted with the weavers and viewed their products.
He said, “As promised in our manifesto, we will reimburse the 5 per cent GST levied on handloom products. This would cost the government `15 crore annually. Additionally, we are establishing a `5 crore thrift fund to benefit 5,386 handloom workers.”
Naidu said the promises made during the last elections were being implemented to help the weavers. Starting this month, 200 units of free electricity would be provided to handlooms and 500 units to powerlooms. This would benefit 93,000 families operating handlooms and 50,000 families having powerlooms. This would cost `190 crore annually.
The CM said his party was the first to introduce pensions for weavers from age 50, benefitting 92,724 families. With social pensions increased to `4,000 per month, as high as `546 crore was being spent annually on weavers’ pensions alone.
Reaffirming the state government’s support for weavers, Naidu said master weavers and artisans have achieved a turnover of `1,375 crore last year.
He said, “A Handloom Museum would be set up in Amaravati. Industrialist Suchitra Ella, who is passionate about promoting the handloom industry, has been appointed as an adviser. Out of the nine awards received by the state under the ‘One District, One Product’ initiative, four were for the handloom sector.”
The CM said, “Handloom marketing is being expanded through ONDC, with 2,000 products already listed. Under the national rural livelihood mission, five new handloom clusters are being set up in Mangalagiri, Venkatagiri, Uppada, Srikalahasti and Rajam at a cost of `74 crore, benefitting 11,374 women weavers.”
He announced that the government would officially observe the birth anniversary of Pragada Kotaiah, a pioneering handloom activist who led satyagrahas for weavers’ rights. A bronze statue of Kotaiah would be installed at the Handloom Circle near the NRI Hospital on the Vijayawada-Guntur national highway.
Recounting the Telugu Desam’s legacy, the CM recalled that in its very first year in power, then chief minister NT Rama Rao introduced subsidised sarees and dhotis to support weavers.
“The handloom sector is second only to agriculture in terms of livelihood support in the state, with around 1,22,644 families dependent on it.“When in power, we uplifted you. In opposition, we fought for you,” he said.
Between 2014–2019, he said the TD government waived `110 crore in loans to handloom artisans. This apart, `27 crore in loans were disbursed to 55,500 workers at the rate of `2 lakh each. Some 90,765 families received free electricity up to 100 units. “We spent `80 crore on a 50 per cent subsidy to weavers for powerloom purchases,” Naidu said.
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