Interest-free Loans to be Given to Weavers: APCO Chief

VIJAYAWADA: The National Handloom Day was celebrated in Vijayawada in a colourful manner with weavers exhibiting their best work, attracting scores of people to have a second look at them and appreciate the workmanship.

Participating in a meeting organised on the occasion, AP State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society (APCO) chairman M Hanumantha Rao emphasised upon the need for the state government’s intervention to bail out weavers from their financial problems.

He underscored the need for extending interest-free loans to weavers.

Promising to help weavers in every manner, agriculture minister Prattipati Pulla Rao said he would take the issue of interest- free loans and others to the notice of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and ensure that necessary action was taken.

He said that the CM had already decided to waive the loans of weavers as promised during elections.

Minister for handlooms and textiles Kollu Ravindra said the government had the interest of weavers on top of its agenda. He recalled the role played by handlooms in the Freedom Movement and said the loans taken by 2.8 lakh weavers through 1,000  weavers cooperative societies from various banks amount to Rs 125 crore. “The CM will announce loan waiver and how it is to be implemented at a programme to be organised in Vijayawada shortly,” he said and added that loan waiver will be implemented within a month.

He said continuing the scheme introduced by NTR during the previous TDP regime, dhotis and sarees will be given to 30 lakh white ration card-holders, which would provide sufficient work for the weavers. The minister also promised to revive thrift fund. “If five crore people in the state wear Khadi for one day, handloom weavers in the state will get 10 days of employment,” he said.

Irrigation minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao stressed the need for adopting modern technology in traditional occupations. “The government is already working towards providing better designs and marketing facilities to weavers and will ensure that there weavers do not migrate to other places for work. The ‘Janata Vastralu’ (Dhoti and Saree) programme for white ration card-holder will cost the state exchequer Rs 550 crore,” he said.

Principal secretary (Handloom and Textiles) SS Rawat said Mangalagiri, Venkatagiri, Uppada, Dharmavaram handlooms have found a place in ‘India Handloom Brand’, which will enhance their demands at national and international levels. The Central Government had decided to set up mega clusters with an investment of Rs 26 crore in Guntur and Prakasam, he said.

ZP chairperson G Anuradha, Vijayawada Central MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao and MLC AL Ramakrishna also spoke.

Weaving Wonders

‘Sampangi Pattu Cheera’, designed and woven by young weaver and fashion designer P Mohan of Dharmavaram in Anantapur district, displayed at the handloom exhibition organised in the city to mark the ‘National Handloom Day’ was the main attraction. Ministers and others, who visited the expo, appreciated Mohan for his masterpiece. Mohan said he had woven 11 unique sarees in the past was also providing training for others in such designs. The saree was woven  with special silk yarn that was kept in pulp of white ‘chameli’ (sampangi), that is found in Mamandur area of Seshachalam, for 98 hours. The ‘chameli’ scent on the sareee is permanent.