Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has directed the officials to formulate an exclusive and comprehensive plan for the welfare of weaver community.
A majority of handloom weavers are now working as daily wagers in the power loom industry due to lack of patronage to handlooms and some of them have altogether left the profession, he said in a review meeting on the plight of handloom and powerloom workers at Pragathi Bhavan here on Tuesday.
The handloom workers were in crisis and their hereditary vocation was not giving them decent income forcing them to eke a living as daily wage workers. The government departments should seriously think of creating a market for their products, he said.
He suggested that the Government place more bulk orders with hand and power looms for procuring school uniforms, uniforms for police personnel, clothes required for hospitals, blankets for students of government hostels. Extending subsidy on yarn, buying the existing stock, skill training to help weavers looking for alternative profession could be some other measures, he said.
Emphasising on extending all support to promote Narayanpet, Gadwal, Pochampally handwoven silk saris with demand in international market, he said that speciality brands likes Gollabhama saris of Siddipet should also be encouraged. In the power loom sector, focus should be more on welfare of workers, he said.
