Telangana to help Odisha handloom sector

 A team from handloom, textiles and handicraft department of Odisha, comprising Shubha Sarma, commissioner-cum-secretary and senior officers heading different wings visited Telangana State to study the handloom sector. The visit was coordinated by Dr MCR HRD Institute of Telangana
The team held detailed discussions with BP Acharya, spl Chief Secretary & DG, Dr MCR HRD Institute of Telangana and Shailaja Ramaiyer, Director of Handlooms & Textiles, Government of Telangana.

The team visited Pochampally Handloom Park, Textile Park & Powerloom Cluster at Rajanna Sircilla district, and the outlets of Telangana State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society Ltd. (TSCO) at Abids and Nampally. The team also interacted with Suraiya Hassan of Weaves & Crafts, Uzramma, director, Malkha, Trust and Dr NVR Nathan, former director, NIFT.

Shubha was all praise of the handloom sector in Telangana, she further added, ““Women, including their younger counterparts, feel proud to wear handloom and considering this the Government of Odisha is committed to give a big boost to this sector and would stay in constant touch with its counterparts in Telangana State to conceptualize and implement similar initiatives in Odisha. Acharya, in his interactive session with the Odisha Officers at the institute, said that there was a serious disconnect between handloom products and their marketing and underlined the need for designing a professional marketing strategy.

hailaja Ramaiyer said that the Department of Handlooms has undertaken a census of handlooms in the State in order to channelise the benefits of multiple welfare schemes through Direct Benefit Transfer to the genuine weavers in a transparent manner. “Such initiatives has 40% subsidy on yarn, dyes, and chemicals, loan waiver, special budget of Rs. 373 crores for handloom sector, skill upgradation training, increased wages etc. are aimed at improving the economic and social status of the weavers in Telangana State in a big way”, she added.