12 new clusters to empower weavers

​Hyderabad: The State government will soon come up with a new Textile Policy and there are also plans to open 12 new clusters to encourage handloom industry and support weavers as well as their families through health insurance and pensions, Textiles Minister KT Rama Rao said on Thursday.

He was speaking after visiting textile parks at Pochampally and Malkapur, where he purchased clothes for his family members and made cashless transactions using swipe machines.

The government would revive the handloom industry and ensure that all weavers were empowered through enhanced marketing opportunities, better incomes and speedy implementation of the policy, he said.

For speedy revival of the handloom industry and for giving boost to the workers, the government would allot special funds in the budget.

The handloom industry was the biggest after agriculture, providing large-scale employment to people, he said.

Rama Rao said that online sales of handloom clothes had already gained ground. It would be expanded further by talking to all e-commerce websites.

The Minister stated that he would ask leaders and officials to wear handloom clothes at least one day in a week.

Steps would be taken to see that the famous handloom clothes made in Pochampally and Gadwal were displayed in the Golconda Handicrafts Center in Delhi, he added.