MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF TEXTILES (SMT. PANABAAKA LAKSHMI)
(a): As per Second Handloom Census, 1995-96, there were 65.5 lakh handloom
weavers and allied workers. Subsequently, there has been reduction in the
number and as per Third Handloom Census, 2009-10, there are 43.32 lakh
handloom weavers and allied workers.
(b): The Working Group on Textile and Jute Industry for 12th Five Year
Plan in its report has projected that direct and indirect employment in
textiles, including handloom sector, at the end of 12th Five Year Plan
would be 121.2 million, as compared to 105.40 millions at the end of
11th Five Year Plan. The required manpower is to be met through
Integrated Skill Development Scheme and other developmental and welfare
schemes and programmes of the Ministry of Textiles.
(c): The Working Group on Textiles and Jute Industry has estimated the
cloth production to be 1,11,848 million sq. meters in terminal year of
12th Plan, as against the base of 64,902 million sq. meters cloth production
for the terminal year of 11th Plan. Similarly, the export earning at the end
of 12th Plan has been estimated US$ 65.41 billion by the terminal year of
12th Five Year Plan.
(d): Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
is a demand driven scheme in operation since 2.2.2006, backed by legislation.
State Governments are obliged to provide up to at least 100 days of guaranteed
wage employment in a financial year to every rural household for doing
unskilled manual work, if demanded, at any time of the year, as mandated
in the Act. The objective of MGNREGA is to unskilled employment to rural
household as per list of works included in Schedule I of the Act and it
is not intended to provide skilled employment. Weaving on traditional
machines is not included in Schedule I of the Act and, hence, is not a
permissible activity under MGNREGA.
(e): The Government of India is aware of the difficulties faced by
the handloom weavers, who face stiff competition from international
markets, powerloom and mill sector and Government is constantly making
concerted efforts to arrest the declining trend of the weavers. Towards
this end, the Government is implementing following 5 schemes for handloom
weavers with a budget outlay of Rs.803 crore during 2012-13:
(i) Integrated Handloom Development Scheme
(ii) Marketing and Export Promotion Scheme
(iii) Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme
(iv) Mill Gate Price Scheme
(v) Diversified Handloom Development Scheme
The Government of India has approved a Financial Package for loan
waiver of overdues of weavers’ coop. societies and individuals as on 31-3-2010
with a total outlay of Rs.3884 crore, for benefiting about 15000 weavers’
cooperative societies and 3 lakh individual weavers.
Further, for easy credit availability to handloom weavers not covered
under financial package, the Government provides margin money assistance
@ Rs 4200/- per weaver, interest Subvention of 3% per annum for 3 years
from the date of first disbursal /and credit guarantee for 3 years by the
Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) for
which the Government pays the required guarantee fee and annual service fee.
As regards availability of cheap hank yarn, 10% price subsidy on
silk and cotton hank yarn has been approved by the Government to ensure
supply of subsidized yarn to handloom sector. The Government has further
approved enhancement in the freight reimbursement for transportation of
different types of yarn used by the handloom sector in order to offset
the increase in fuel cost. The import duty on raw silk yarn has been
reduced from 30% to 5%, in order to bring down the prices of different
types of silk yarn in the country.
