Ministry of Textiles28-November, 2014 15:01 IST
Improving Working Conditions of Weavers

 

With a view to improve the working conditions of handloom weavers  and for the sustainable development of handloom sector, the Ministry of Textiles, through various schemes and programmes, has adopted focused, flexible and holistic approach by facilitating marketing of handloom products, infrastructure development, brand building and empowerment of weavers by organizing them under self help groups, training and skill upgradation, infusion of new and contemporary designs through design intervention as well as product diversification, technology upgradation, easy access to raw material at subsidized prices and easy credit flow at low interest rate etc., besides providing better health care  and life insurance under welfare schemes., following schemes have been approved for implementation during 12th Plan:

 

1.       National Handloom Development Programme- two components:

(i)    Comprehensive Handlooms Development Scheme

(ii)  Revival, Reform and Restructuring (RRR) Package for handloom sector

 

2.      Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme- two components:

(i)    Health Insurance Scheme for access to health care facilities

(ii)  Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana for life insurance

 

3.         Yarn Supply Scheme

4.        Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme

 

The details of schemes are given in Annexure-I.

 

The details of grants provided to the handloom weavers for the last three years and current year is at Annexure-II.

 

For powerloom weavers/workers the Government of India has launched various schemes for improvement in their working condition, the details of the scheme are given in Annexure-III.

 

Training and skill development programmes are being organized under Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS) in various parts of the country by Weavers Service Centre (WSC) and Indian Institute of Handloom Technology(IIHT) to help handloom weavers to produce diversified products with innovative use and improved quality to meet changing market trends and get remunerative prices. The training and skill development programmes includes training in preparatory process, winding, sizing, graph making, manual designing, CATD designing, printing, dyeing, lattice making and card punching.

 

For powerloom weavers under Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS) the training is imparted through 14 powerloom service centres of the Office of the Textile Commissioner.  Under the Scheme, training related to basic weaving, shuttle less weaving, fitter-cum-jober, textile fabric design, fabric productions, high speed sectional warping, sewing machine operator, embroidery machine operator is imparted to improve their techniques. 

Annexure-I

Details of schemes under implementation for Handloom Sector

 

1.               NATIONAL HANDLOOM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME:

 

National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP) is being implemented as a centrally sponsored programme for development of handlooms, having following components:-

 

a.              Revival, Reform & Restructuring (RRR) package for the handloom sector:

 

RRR package covers waiver of overdue loan 100% principal and 25% of interest as on 31/3/2010 and recapitalization assistance of eligible apex and primary weavers of the cooperative societies & individual weavers and also provides fresh loan at 6% interest rate along with credit guarantee for 3 years. The RRR Package was approved for implementation upto 28.02.2014. For providing access to subsidized term loan as well as working capital loan to handloom weavers not covered under loan waiver package, Government has approved Concessional Credit Component. The loan is sanctioned to weavers at 6% interest and GoI interest subvention is max.7% and to leverage the loan, Government provides margin money assistance upto Rs. 10,000 per weaver and credit guarantee through Credit guarantee Trust Fund for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE).

 

b.                 Comprehensive Handlooms Development scheme (CHDS)

 

CHDS has been formulated by merging the components of Integrated Handloom Development Scheme (IHDS), Marketing & Export Promotion Scheme (MEPS) and Diversified Handloom Development Scheme (DHDS), implemented during the 11th Plan.  Sub-components of the CHDS are as follows:-

 

                           i.            Development of handloom clusters of different sizes

                         ii.            Consolidation of existing handloom clusters in  2 years

                       iii.            Group Approach Projects

                       iv.            Marketing Incentive

                         v.            Organizing handloom exhibitions, both in India and abroad for marketing of  handloom products

                       vi.            Strengthening of handloom organizations/institutions

                     vii.            Handloom Census

                   viii.            Publicity, monitoring, supervision, training and evaluation of the scheme

 

2.                 HANDLOOM WEAVERS COMPREHENSIVE WELFARE SCHEME:

 

This scheme has 2 components namely Health Insurance Scheme (HIS) and Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana (MGBBY). The HIS aims at enabling the weaver community to access healthcare facilities.  The scheme covers not only the weaver but the spouse and two children.  It also provides outpatient (OP) treatment facility. On the other hand, MGBBY aims to provide insurance cover to handloom weavers in the case of natural as well as accidental death and in cases of total or partial disability.   A scholarship of Rs.300/- per quarter per child subject to two children studying in standard IX to XII is also provided under MGBBY.

 

3.                  YARN SUPPLY SCHEME (YSS):

 

This scheme makes available all types of yarn at Mill Gate Price to the eligible handloom agencies and the transport and depot operating expenses are being borne by the Government of India.  Further, to provide the subsidized yarn to handloom weavers in order to compete with powerloom and mill sector, a new component of 10% price subsidy on cotton hank yarn, domestic silk yarn and woollen yarn is also provided.

 

4.         COMPREHENSIVE HANDLOOM CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT SCHEME:

Mega handloom cluster covers 25,000 handlooms and is developed at an upper GoI share of Rs.70.00 crore each in a period of 5 years.  So far, six mega handloom clusters at Varanasi, Sivasagar, Murshidabad, Godda, Virudhnagar and Prakasham (A.P.) have been taken up for development in handloom sector.

Annexure-II

 

Details of grants provided to the weavers for the last three years & current year    

 

Rupees in Crores

Name of Schemes (Plan)

 

2011-12

 

2012-13

 

2013-14

2014-15

(as on 14/11/2014)

1.

Integrated Handloom Development Scheme

219.49

138.96

Merged with CHDS

 0

2.

Marketing & Export Promotion Scheme

53.59

41.37

 0

3.

Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme

68.22

127.03

66

29.5

4.

Mill Gate Price Scheme/ Yarn Supply Scheme

54.27

122.91

96.86

118.34

5.

Diversified Handloom Development Scheme

13.34

17.08

Merged with CHDS

 

Merged with NHDP

6.

Revival reform and Restructuring Package for the Handloom Sector

200

291.03

269.79

7.

Comprehensive Handloom Development Scheme

 0

 0

117.35

8.

National Handloom Development Programme

 0

 0

 0

206.4

9.

CHCDS-Handloom Mega Cluster

 0

 0

27.25

12.52

Total (Plan)

608.91

738.38

577.25

366.76

 

Annexure-III

Schemes for powerloom sector

1.                   Government of India provides technical service support by way of 47 powerloom service centres working in different locations to support the unorganised powerloom across the country.

2.                  Group Workshed Scheme – Under the scheme minimum four weavers can form a group for installing 48 modern looms of single widths or 24 wider widths looms.

3.                  15% and 30% margin money subsidy scheme under Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFs)

4.                 Pilot scheme of in-situ upgradation of plain powerloom, launched in October, 2013.

5.                  Hire purchase scheme for powerloom sector under TUFs.

6.                 Group Insurance Scheme for powerloom workers.

7.                  Health Insurance Scheme for powerloom weavers.

8.                 Integrated Scheme for Powerloom Sector Development (ISPSD)

 

(i)                Buyer Seller Meet

(ii)              Exposure visit

(iii)            Seminars & Workshops

9.         New components launched in October, 2003 under ISPSD

(i)                common Facility Centre (CFC)

(ii)              Corpus for yarn bank

(iii)            Pilot scheme for Tex. Venture Capital Fund

The information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Textiles Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

******

RC


(Release ID :112107)