Question : Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata (HSS) Yojana

(a) whether the Government is implementing Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata (HSS) Yojana for handloom weavers and if so, the details thereof and whether the Government has achieved the objective for which it was launched;

(b) the ratio of sharing of financial assistance between the Government and beneficiary;

(c) the total financial assistance provided by the Government under the HSS Yojana till date in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra;

(d) the number of SC/ST/OBC and women handloom beneficiaries from the HSS till date in the said states; and

(e) whether the Government has assessed the performance of HSS, if so, the details thereof and the outcome of the assessment along with the corrective action taken on the drawbacks?

MINISTER OF TEXTILES
(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)


(a) to (e): The Government of India, Ministry of Textiles introduced the technology up-gradation scheme under National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP) and Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS) in 2015-16. This scheme, with some modifications, was named as “Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata (HSS) Yojana” in December 2016, for providing upgraded looms/accessories to handloom weavers to improve quality of fabric and enhance productivity. Under Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata Yojana, the Government of India bears 90% of the cost of looms/accessories. The scheme is designed for all the weavers, including SC/ST/OBC and women. The total financial assistance provided by the Government under the HSS Yojana in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra is as follows:

S. No. State Funds released (till Dec. 2020) (Rs. in lakh)
1 Tamil Nadu 1038.41
2 Karnataka 114.22
3 Maharashtra 49.47

The performance of interventions under Block Level Clusters including Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata Yojana (HSS) has been evaluated by independent third-party agencies and the studies show that these interventions have led to increase in earnings and the number of working days in a year of weavers.

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