The State Government is standing by the handloom and powerloom weavers by implementing welfare schemes, providing life insurance cover on the lines of Rythu Bima, extending input and marketing incentives, supplying fabrics for uniforms and other needs of government welfare hostels and educational institutions, residential schools and colleges, sarees to Anganwadi and Asha workers and others.
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Besides, with the participation of powerlooms, the State Government has so far distributed over 4.79 crore Bathukamma sarees to women whose names are enrolled in the food security cards and aged above 18 years since 2017 with an expenditure of over ₹1,466 crore. Bathukamma sarees’ scheme has been providing jobs to powerloom weavers throughout the year and has improved their living standards.
‘Wear handloom’
According to the officials, the State Government was also distributing fabrics as part of Dasara Gift Packs, Ramzan Gift Packs and Christmas Gift Packs by involving the Telangana State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society Limited (TSCO). To ensure more work to handloom weavers, Minister for Industries, IT, Handlooms and Textiles K.T. Rama Rao has given a call to all government officials and employees to wear handloom fabrics at least on every Monday.
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As part of the Chentha Mitra scheme, the government was giving 40% subsidy on inputs such as yarn, dyes and chemicals to handloom and master weavers, handloom societies and TSCO. The subsidy was being credited directly into the bank accounts of individual weavers and societies. So far, and amount of ₹24.09 crore was given as subsidy to 20,501 beneficiaries.
Under the Telangana Handloom Weavers Thrift Fund Savings and Securities Scheme (TFSSS), the government contribution was increased to 16% from 8% by keeping the beneficiary contribution at 8% itself. In all, 20,537 beneficiaries were given ₹96.43 crore during the 2017-20 period as part of the 36-month tenure recurring deposit scheme. Extending the scheme for three more year, the government has deposited ₹25.31 crore in the recurring deposit accounts of 32,328 beneficiaries.
Nethanna Bima
Under the recently introduced Nethanna Bima scheme, handloom and powerloom workers engaged on geo-tagged looms and in the age group of 18-59 years, a weaver’s family would be paid life insurance of ₹5 lakh in the event of his/her death, irrespective of the cause. The State Government is implementing the scheme with the association of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) on the lines of Rythu Bima scheme.