Question : CENSUS FOR HANDLOOM SECTOR

(a) the details and number of looms and weavers according to last Handloom Census, State-wise;

(b) whether the Government periodically conducts Handloom Census;

(c) if so, the reasons for not conducting census since 1995-96;

(d) the estimated impact of not conducting the census on the policy-making process and the lives of the weavers and also on the development of the Handloom Sector;

(e) whether the contribution of Handloom sector is on decline; and

(f) if so, the details thereof alongwith the action taken in this regard?

MINISTER OF TEXTILES ( SHRI SHANKERSINH VAGHELA)

(a) to (f) : A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (f) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.38 FOR 25.07.2006.

(a) : The State-wise details and number of looms and weavers according to last Handloom Census conducted in 1995-96, are enclosed at Annexure-I.

(b) to (d) : The first census on Handloom was conducted during the year 1987-88 and second census was conducted in the year 1995-96. Thus, the handloom censuses had been conducted at an interval of about a decade. Proposal to conduct a fresh census is under consideration.

(e) & (f) : The estimated cloth production in handloom sector in the year 2005-06 was 6203 million sq. mtrs (Provisional) as compared to 5722 million sq. mtrs in 2004-05 and 5493 million sq. mtrs in 2003-04 which shows an annual increase of 8.41% in the year 2005-06 and 4.17% in the year 2004-05.

The Government is implementing a number of schemes to enhance production, productivity and efficiency of the handloom sector and to enhance the income and socio-economic status of the weavers by upgrading their skills and providing infrastructural input and marketing support. The main developmental schemes are Deen Dayal Hathkargha Protsahan Yojana, Integrated Handloom Training Project, Marketing Promotion Programme, Mill Gate Price Scheme, Workshed-cum-Housing Scheme, Weavers’ Welfare Scheme and Handloom Export Scheme. Further more, new schemes of Integrated Handloom Cluster Development (IHCD), Mahatama Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojna and Health Insurance Scheme have been launched in the year 2005-06.

Annexure

STATE-WISE DETAILS OF NUMBER OF LOOMS AND WEAVERS AS PER 1995-96 CENSUS

S.No	Name of the State	No. of Looms	No. of Weavers
1	Andhra Pradesh	202100	228007
2	Arunachal Pradesh	39592	30134
3	Assam	1322056	1259878
4	Bihar	34906	45424
5	Chattisgarh	8111	10130
6	Delhi	7027	2977
7	Goa	43	14
8	Gujarat	20550	21350
9	Haryana	22718	5076
10	Himachal Pradesh	47631	47901
11	Jammu & Kashmir	18154	20773
12	Jharkhand	11314	26718
13	Karnataka	70835	71238
14	Kerala	49508	32093
15	Madhya Pradesh	14425	12882
16	Maharashtra	39900	38985
17	Manipur	281496	425580
18	Meghalaya#	#	#
19	Mizoram#	#	#
20	Nagaland	87878	81827
21	Orissa	92869	104676
22	Pondicherry	3106	3155
23	Punjab	6556	5956
24	Rajasthan	34343	37348
25	Sikkim$	838	$
26	Tamil Nadu	413174	319600
27	Tripura	117792	137669
28	Uttar Pradesh	182539	221127
29	Uttaranchal	7031	9077
30	West Bengal	350654	270911	Total All India	3487146	3470506