The State Government's decision to buy over 10 lakh saris from Surat in Gujarat for free distribution to mothers of girl beneficiaries under the Bhagyalakshmi scheme, when lakhs of local weavers here are going jobless, has left many shocked, including the chairman of the Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation (KHDC).
In his letter to Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on September 21, 2010, M.D. Lakshminarayan, KHDC Chairman, had demanded that saris for the scheme be bought from weavers from Karnataka.
In the letter, he had said that over four lakh weavers are in a state of utter penury in Karnataka because there is no market for saris woven by them. Raising objections to the decision taken at a high-level meeting on September 18 to procure saris from Surat, he said that buying saris from mills in Surat will contribute to worsening the plight of weavers, “pushing them to migration or suicide”.
Mr. Lakshminarayan told The Hindu that he had also visited Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gadag and Chikkodi where there is a high concentration of weavers, and held discussion on weaving saris for the scheme. “The Chief Minister had promised us that our weavers would be roped in to supply saris,” expressing surprise at the sudden turnabout.
The Government, however, set up a core committee of five high-ranking officers, which decided to procure saris from Surat.
According to sources in the Department of Women and Child Welfare, the decision had to be taken because the Government was intent on launching the scheme on October 14 at Davangere.
“We could have met the demand if we were given six months,” said Mr. Lakshminarayan. “At such short notice, we can weave only a few lakhs,” he added.
Opposition
The Government's decision has been opposed by activists too. Prasanna, theatre person and founder of weavers' co-operative, Desi, has condemned the decision to procure saris from Surat while lakhs of metres of handloom material are lying wasted in godowns in the State. KHDC, he has said, has failed to give employment and livelihood to lakhs of weavers.
With the Government set to procure 10.68 lakh saris for distribution in nine districts this month, at Rs. 220 a sari, the volume of transaction is put at over Rs. 23 crore.
