March 26, 2002

TARGET OF 218 LAKH KG YARN SUPPLY

    A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in New Delhi today between the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and the National Handloom Development Corporation Limited (NHDC), a Government of India Enterprise for the year 2002-03. Shri S.B. Mohapatra, Secretary (Textiles), Government of India and Shri V.K Goyal, Managing Director, National Handloom Development Corporation Limited signed on behalf of Government of India and NHDC respectively. Shri K. Rajendaran Nair, Development Commissioner for Handlooms and Chairman-NHDC was also present on the occasion.

    The signed MOU focuses on enhancing activity levels & delivery systems for supply of raw materials like yarn, dyes & chemicals, to contribute to the growth of infrastructure and appopriate technology to create marketing opportunities for high output and exports, to play a pro-active role for the benefits to the sector and to route Central Govt. funds/loans and grants to Handloom Organisations. Against the revised target of yarn supplies, Corporation has proposed supply of 218.00 lakh kgs for the year 2002-2003. The target for supplies for Dyes and Chemicals (another important input) has been kept as 10.00 lakh kgs valuing Rs. 1900.00 lakh for the year 2002-2003.

    The Corporation’s thrust will be to reach handloom weavers through the cluster approach besides utilizing the existing channel of State Handloom Corporations and Apex bodies. Activities of raw material supplies in North East region including Sikkim and J&K region also being enlarged by taking up improved schemes, so that weavers in these areas are not at disadvantages positions.

    Corporation also proposes to take up organisation of exhibitions for the benefit of Handloom Weavers at Regional level besides already established annual events of organisation exhibitions like SILKRAB and other Expo’s during 2002-2003.

    The Corporation will also organize Appropriate Technology Exhibitions, Dyers Training Programmes, thereby exposing a large number of weavers in the area of propagation of use of eco-friendly dyestuffs and to new developments in handloom sector.

    The Corporation has been paying dividends for the last 5 years consistently. The Corporation is a vibrant organisation. It proposes to take up on exercise of bench marking and further rationalise its overheads so that per unit cost of handling the activities is at appropriate level.