The District Congress Committee (DCC) president has urged the Union Minister for Textiles to ease the stringent norms involved in the implementation of the special package announced by the Central government for the revival and restructuring of the traditional handloom sector in the country.
In a representation to Union Minister for Textiles K.S. Rao here on Tuesday, DCC president K. Surendran said the weavers’ cooperative societies in the State, especially in this district, were facing difficulties in connection with the implementation of the package. He said the norms framed for the implementation of the package aimed at the uplift of the weaving community were not in favour of weavers’ societies. The objectives of the special audit manual of the NABARD correctly stated in its preface that the weavers’ cooperative societies suffered from two financial disabilities, overdue borrowing and accumulated losses.
Mr. Surendran said the financial stringency of the State government resulted in the failure of timely disbursement of rebate/incentives. Almost all the weavers’ societies were in the debt trap, he said, adding that the community saw the package as a step for relief from the debt trap.
For the purpose of inclusion in this package, the existing primary weavers’ cooperative societies were divided and categorised as viable and potentially viable and non-viable societies, the DCC president said. The package covered only viable and potentially viable societies. Stringent norms were made to assess the status of the societies for inclusion in the package, he noted.
