Lok Sabha Question No. 4520 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-20
Subject: Welfare Schemes of Artisans
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Pashupati Nath Singh, Giridhari Yadav

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4520 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.03.2020

## WELFARE SCHEMES OF ARTISANS

## 4520.   SHRI PASHUPATI NATH SINGH: SHRI GIRIDHARI YADAV:

Will the Minister of TEXTILES वस्त्र मंत्री

be pleased to state :

- (a) the names of the development and welfare schemes for handloom and handicraft artisans at present;
- (b)  whether  there  is  any  machinery  with  the  Government  to  ascertain  that  the  said  schemes  are benefitting the targetted artisans;
- (c) the number of artisans benefited under the said schemes during the last three years, scheme-wise; and
- (d) the reaction of the Government thereto?

## उत्तर

ANSWER

## वस्त्र मंत्री ( श्रीमती स्मृतत ज़ूबिन इरानी )

MINISTER OF TEXTILES

(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

- (a): The  Government  of  India,  Ministry  of  Textiles  is  implementing  following  schemes  for development and welfare of handloom weavers and handicraft artisans across the country: -

## Handloom Sector:

- 1) National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP)
- 2) Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS)
- 3) Handloom Weavers' Comprehensive Welfare Scheme (HWCWS)
- 4) Yarn Supply Scheme (YSS)

Under the above schemes, financial assistance is provided for raw materials, purchase of looms and  accessories,  design  innovation,  product  diversification,  infrastructure  development,  skill upgradation, lighting units, marketing of handloom products and loan at concessional rates.

## 1. NATIONAL HANDLOOM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (NHDP)

- (i) BLOCK LEVEL CLUSTER: Introduced  in  2015-16  as  one  of  the  components  of National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP).  Financial assistance upto Rs. 2.00  crore  per  BLC  for  various  interventions  such  as  skill  upgradation,  Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata, product development, construction of workshed, project management cost, design development, setting up of common facility centre (CFC) etc. is provided. Besides, financial assistance upto Rs. 50.00 lakh is also available for setting up  of  one  dye  house  at  district  level.  The  proposals  are  recommended  by  the  State Government.
- (ii) HANDLOOM MARKETING ASSISTANCE is  one  of  the  components  of  National Handloom  Development  Programme.    In  order  to  provide  marketing  platform  to  the handloom agencies/weavers to sell their products  directly  to  the  consumers,  financial assistance is provided to the States/eligible handloom agencies for organizing marketing events in domestic as well as overseas markets.
- (iii) WEAVER  MUDRA  SCHEME: Under  the  Weaver  MUDRA  Scheme,  credit  at concessional interest rate of 6% is provided to the handloom weavers.  Margin money assistance to a maximum of Rs. 10,000 per weaver and credit guarantee for a period of 3  years  is  also  provided. MUDRA  Portal has  been  developed  in  association  with Punjab National Bank to cut down delay in disbursement of funds for margin money and interest subvention.

## (iv) HATHKARGHA SAMVARDHAN SAHAYATA (HSS):

Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata (HSS) was introduced on 1st December 2016 with an objective to provide looms/accessories to the weavers to enhance their earnings through improved productivity and quality of the handloom products. Under the scheme, 90% of the cost of loom/accessory is borne by the Government of India while remaining 10% is borne by the beneficiary. The Government of India's share is released to the supplier through Weavers' Service Centre.

## (v) EDUCATION OF HANDLOOM WEAVERS AND THEIR CHILDREN:

Ministry  of  Textiles  has  signed  Memorandums  of  Understanding  with  Indira  Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to  secure  educational  facilities  for  the  weavers  and  their  families.    NIOS  offers Secondary and Senior Secondary level education with specialized subjects on design, marketing,  business  development,  etc.  through  distance  learning  mode  for  handloom weavers, whereas IGNOU offers continuing education programs through accessible and flexible learning opportunities relevant to the aspirations of handloom weavers and their children for career progression.

The  programme  envisages  reimbursement  of  75%  of  the  fee  towards  admission  to NIOS/IGNOU  courses  in  case  of  SC,  ST,  BPL,  and  Women  learners  belonging  to handloom weavers' families.

- (vi) ' INDIA  HANDLOOM'  BRAND -  During  the  celebration  of  7th  August  2015  as National  Handloom  Day,  'India  Handloom'  Brand  was  launched  by  Hon'ble  Prime Minister  for  branding  of  high  quality  handloom  products.  It  promotes  production  of niche  handloom  products  with  high  quality,  authentic  traditional  designs  with  zero defect and zero effect on environment. Since its launch, 1333 registrations have been issued under 184 product categories and sale of Rs. 861.93 crore has been generated. Initiatives with various leading brands has been undertaken to bring out a separate range of handloom garments in their brand.
- (vii) E-COMMERCE -  In  order  to  promote  e-marketing  of  handloom  products,  a  policy frame work was designed and under which any willing e-commerce platform with good track record can participate in online marketing of handloom products. Accordingly, 23 e-commerce entities have been engaged for on-line marketing of handloom products. A total sales of Rs.80.76 crore has been reported through the online portal.
- (viii) URBAN HAATS are  set  up  in  the  big  towns/metropolitan  cities  to  provide  adequate direct marketing facilities to the craft persons/weavers and eliminate middle agencies. 38 such Urban Haats have been sanctioned across the country so far.

## 2. COMPREHENSIVE HANDLOOM CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT SCHEME:

The  Comprehensive  Handloom  Cluster  Development  Scheme  (CHCDS)  is  targeted  at development  of  Mega  Handloom  Clusters  in  clearly  identifiable  geographical  locations covering atleast 15000 handlooms with the Government of India (GoI) contribution upto Rs.40 crore per cluster over a period of 5  years. Components such as conducting diagnostic study, corpus  for  raw  material,  etc.,  are  fully  funded  by  the  Government  of  India  (GoI)  whereas components like lighting units, technological up-gradation of looms and accessories are 90% funded  by  the  GoI.    Other  components  such  as  creation  of  infrastructure  for  design  studio/ marketing  complex/garmenting  unit,  marketing  development,  assistance  for  exports  and publicity  are  80%  funded  by  the  GoI.    08  Mega  Handloom  Clusters  viz.  Varanasi  (Uttar Pradesh), Sivasagar (Assam), Virudhunagar(Tamil Nadu), Murshidabad (West Bengal), Prakasam & Guntur districts (Andhra Pradesh), Godda & neighbouring districts (Jharkhand), Bhagalpur (Bihar) and Trichy (Tamil Nadu) have been taken up for development.

## 3. HANDLOOM WEAVERS' COMPREHENSIVE WELFARE SCHEME

Weavers  Comprehensive  Welfare  Scheme  (HWCWS)  is  providing  life,  accidental  and disability insurance coverage under the components Pradhan Mantri Jivan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY),  Pradhan  Mantri  Suraksha  Bima  Yojana  (PMSBY)  and  Converged  Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana (MGBBY).

## 4. YARN SUPPLY SCHEME:

Yarn Supply Scheme is being implemented throughout the country to make available all types of  yarn  at  Mill  Gate  Price.  The  scheme  is  being  implemented  through  National  Handloom Development  Corporation.    Under  the  Scheme  freight  is  reimbursed  and  depot  operating charges @2% is given to depot operating agencies.  A component of 10% price subsidy also exists  on  hank  yarn,  which  is  applicable  on  cotton,  domestic  silk,  wool  and  linen  yarn  with quantity caps.

## Handicraft Sector:

Office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles  is implementing the scheme  namely  Direct  Benefit  to  artisans  (DBT)  for  the  welfare  and  development  of  Handcrafts artisans  under    National  Handicrafts  Development  Programme  (NHDP).There  are    following components under the approved scheme:-

- i) Handicraft artisans comprehensive welfare scheme wherein the handicrafts artisans is issued the  identity  card  under  PAHCHAN  initiatives,  so  that  he/she  may  get  the  benefit  of  all  the schemes of Govt. of India.
2. ii) Pradhan  Mantri  Jeevan  Jyoti  Bima  Yojana/Pradhan  Mantri  Surkasha  Bima  Yojana  and Modified Aam Admi Bima Yojana through Life Insurance Corporation of India to provide life insurance protection to handicrafts artisans
3. iii) Support to artisans in indigent circumstances to the recipient of Shilp Guru Awards, National Awards  or  merit  certificate  or  state  award  in  handicrafts  above  the  age  of  60  years.    The assistance to an amount of Rs.3500/- per month is provided to the eligible master craftsperson on  the  recommendation  of  field  offices  who  income  should  not  exceeds  to  Rs.50,000/-  per annum.  The relaxation in age is in the case of disability.
4. iv) Interest subvention @ 6% on the loan amount maximum to Rs.1.00 lakhs over a period of 3 years.
- v) Margin money @ 20% of the sanctioned amount maximum to Rs.10,000/- in each case.
6. (b): The Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms is implementing its schemes in close  coordination  with  the  State  Governments  and  Weavers'  Service  Centres  located  across  the country so that the benefits of the schemes reach the targeted beneficiaries on time and there should be optimum utilisation of funds for the purposes for which it is released for the handloom weavers.

All the schemes implemented by Office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) are monitored through field offices known as Handicrafts Service Centres across the country under the administrative control of  six regional offices located at New Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Guwahati.

- (c): Scheme-wise handloom weavers benefited under the handloom schemes in the last three years are as under: -

| Scheme-wise number of weavers benefited under various schemes from 2016-17 to 2018-19   | Scheme-wise number of weavers benefited under various schemes from 2016-17 to 2018-19   | Scheme-wise number of weavers benefited under various schemes from 2016-17 to 2018-19   | Scheme-wise number of weavers benefited under various schemes from 2016-17 to 2018-19   | Scheme-wise number of weavers benefited under various schemes from 2016-17 to 2018-19   | Scheme-wise number of weavers benefited under various schemes from 2016-17 to 2018-19   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| SN                                                                                      | NHDP &CHCDS                                                                             | NHDP (Marketing Events &Weavers MUDRA)                                                  | NHDP (Marketing Events &Weavers MUDRA)                                                  | Welfare Scheme (HWCWS) (Coverage/enrolment of weavers)                                  | Welfare Scheme (HWCWS) (Coverage/enrolment of weavers)                                  |
|                                                                                         | No. of beneficiaries of Block Level Clusters                                            | No. of beneficiaries of marketing events                                                | No. of beneficiaries of concessional Loans ( MUDRAScheme)                               | MGBBY/ Converged MGBBY                                                                  | PMJJBY/ PMSBY                                                                           |
|                                                                                         | 174193                                                                                  | 1081543                                                                                 | 103870                                                                                  | 634689                                                                                  | 240622                                                                                  |

The  number  of handicraft artisans  benefitted  under  each  component  of  Direct  Benefit  to Artisans scheme during last three years is as under: -

| Component                                                                                                     | Artisans Benefitted   | Artisans Benefitted   | Artisans Benefitted         |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------|
|                                                                                                               | 2017-18               | 2018-19               | 2019-20                     |
| Issuance of Photo identity card under PAHCHAN                                                                 | 7.17 lakh             | 2.85 lakh             | 1.71 lakh (as on            |
| Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana/Pradhan Mantri Surkasha Bima Yojana and Modified Aam Admi Bima Yojana | -                     | 10,634 nos.           | 848 nos. (as on 29.02.2020) |
| Support to master crafts persons in indigent circumstances                                                    | 259 nos.              | 273 nos.              | 302 nos.                    |
| Interest Subvention                                                                                           | -                     | -                     | -                           |
| Margin Money                                                                                                  | 0                     | 0                     | 382 nos.                    |

- (d): The Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms and Handicrafts make all efforts in  close  coordination  with  the  State  Governments  and  Weavers'  Service  Centres  and  field  offices known  as  Handicrafts  Service  Centres  across  the  country  under  the  administrative  control  of    six regional offices  located  at  New  Delhi,  Lucknow,  Mumbai,  Chennai,  Kolkata and Guwahati through regular correspondence, interaction and by holding meetings for optimum utilisation of funds allocated for various schemes.

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