Gramaseva Sangha, Bengaluru has plans to launch a weavers’ satyagraha on August 7 in Bengaluru by selling handloom products on the streets if the State government fails to revive the Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation (KHDC), which is on the verge of collapse. National Handloom Day falls on August 7.
Speaking to presspersons on Saturday, Prasanna, theatre director and senior mentor of the forum, said a large number of handloom weavers were in distress. “Weaving, which once was a large industrial enterprise providing employment to as many as 40,000 families, has been drastically reduced to 6,000 families,” he said.
According to the plan, a satyagraha will also be held in Dharwad on August 8, and there will be a hunger strike by weavers in Hubballi on August 9.
Vittappa Gorantle, vice-president of the Akhila Karnataka Handloom Weavers’ Association, appealed to the government to release a special package of ₹30 crore to resolve the problems in the sector.
