Focus on variety of cloth weaving to sustain business: Director

Gadwal: Gadwal handloom workers were told to focus their concentration not just on making Sareers but also to make other cloths which are commercially moving in the market. While addressing a meeting of Handloom Workers Association at Collector’s chamber in Gadwal, Sailaja Ramaiayer, Director of Handlooms, said “The Handloom workers, apart from weaving their traditional brand of Sarees should also concentrate on weaving other fast-moving clothing’s in the market for them to sustain their business.”

The Director along with district Collector Rajat Kumar Saini participated in the meeting of Handloom Workers Association in the district to finalise handloom policy and establish the rules and regulations governing the of Handloom Workers Association.   

Speaking on the occasion, the Director said as part of government’s initiative to establish hand loom park in Gadwal, both State and Central governments are funding 20:80 per cent respectively. However, while taking the issue of lack of loan availability from the banks to the hand loom workers, Govind Rao, President of Gadwal Handloom Workers Association said that the banks were asking for guarantee from the organisation, however till date the government has not yet registered land meant for the park on the name of Handloom association and the name of the Association is also yet to be registered. 

For this the Director said that as there was yet to do a lot of construction works in the park, the government regulations would not allow the process of registration of the park land in the name of the Association in advance. “We are giving the land on lease for a stipulated amount of time and rules do not allow to register the land in the name of Association,” replied the Director. 

Additional Director Hand loom, Srinvias Reddy said that the hand loom weavers can now avail 40 per cent subsidy on Yarn. Any handloom worker or associations who are buying the yarn from recognised organisation can avail the subsidy under Handloom Mitra Yarn Subsidy scheme. “Of this subsidy 5 per cent will be given to master viewer while 35 per cent will go to the workers. Under this scheme every handloom worker will get the benefit,” said the Additional Director.