The saga of weavers’ distress in Dharmavaram, famous for its silk sarees, continued in Anantapur district with yet another weaver giving up hope of ever recovering from financial difficulties. Balaji, 35, hanged himself in his house at Keshav Nagar in Dharmavaram town, unable to emerge from his burden of debt. A man who knew no skill other than weaving, Balaji had been steeped in losses for several years, thanks to the rising cost of raw silk, disproportionate wages and the exploitative nature of buyers made bold by the absence of efficient marketing facilities for handloom weavers. “He had run up a debt of Rs 4 lakh in the last few years,” Balaji’s wife Harika told The Hindu , clinging to her two daughters.
A man who knew no skill other than weaving, Balaji had been steeped in losses for several years
