KTR to weavers: Teach BJP a befitting lesson

Hyderabad: Listing out the harsh measures taken by BJP-led Union government against handloom weavers, Telangana Handlooms and Textiles Minister and TRS working president KT Rama Rao has appealed to the weavers' community to teach BJP a lesson in Munugodu byelections.

The Minister said that Narendra Modi was the first Prime Minister in the history of India to put the burden on the weavers with heavy tax, scrapped insurance and welfare schemes meant for them.

During a Teleconference with handloom weavers of Munugodu, KTR detailed several progressive steps taken by TRS government for the welfare of the weavers' community.

He said that the TRS government has been allocating a budget of Rs 1,200 crores per annum for the welfare of the handloom sector, provided a 40% subsidy on yarn and dyes through Chenetha Mithra, introduced Rs Five Lakh insurance coverage for handloom and power loom workers through Nethanna Ku Bhima, implementing Nethannaku Cheyutha scheme. During Covid, Telangana government, through Nethannaku Cheyutha, has sanctioned an amount of Rs 100 crores to weavers much before the maturity date. The scheme is being continued keeping in view the benefit it has provided to the community.

The Minister KTR has said that the TRS government has waived weavers' loans ranging up to Rs one lakh. This has benefited about 10,500 people. He has also said that an integrated training, production and sales centre in Narayanpet, and handlooms park in Gadwal are being set up.

He said that BJP has dissolved the All India Handlooms Board, All India Handicrafts Board, and scrapped savings scheme, and insurance schemes for weavers. Also, the yarn subsidy to weavers was reduced from 40% to 15%.

KTR said that the GST on handlooms and textiles was increased from 5 per cent to 12 per cent by Modi. Though Modi rode to power on the swadeshi sentiment, he is pushing the handlooms sector into crisis, KTR added.

The Minister said that though the Telangana government has sought assistance from the central government in implementing welfare measures for weavers, there was absolutely no help from the centre. Moreover, the central government did not lend support to set up the Institute of Handloom Technology, and block-level handloom clusters.

He appealed to the weavers' community to teach a lesson to Narendra Modi's BJP in the Munugodu by-elections. He has assured to work for the welfare of weavers in villages such as Koyalagudem, Puttapaka, Gattupal, Choutuppal, Chunduru, Munugodu, Narayanapuram, Lingotam.