Lok Sabha Question No. 4335 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-22
Subject: Labourers in Handloom Sector
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Virendra  Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4335 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.03.2021

## LABOURERS IN HANDLOOM SECTOR

†4335. DR. VIRENDRA KUMAR:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENT  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)whether the Government has any data regarding the loans provided to handloom sector;
- (b)if so, the details thereof; and
- (c)the efforts being made by the Government to provide incentive to the labourers  engaged  in  handloom  sector  and  create  awareness  among them?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

- (a) & (b): The Ministry of Textiles facilitates loans to handloom weavers across  the  country  on  concessional  rate  of  interest  through  Weavers' MUDRA Scheme. Under the 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.  In the last 6 years and the current year, loan worth Rs.890.64 crore has been disbursed to about 2.65 crore weaver beneficiaries.

(c): In order to promote and develop handloom sector across the country,  Ministry  of  Textiles  is  implementing  following  schemes,  under which financial assistance is provided to eligible handloom agencies/weavers in the form of grants-in-aid for raw materials, purchase of  looms  and  accessories,  design  innovation,  product  diversification, infrastructure development, skill upgradation, lighting units, marketing of handloom products in domestic as well as overseas markets and loan at concessional rates: -

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

Apart from implementation of above schemes, following new initiatives have also been taken by the Ministry of Textiles for the benefit of handloom weavers: -

- i) The  handloom  weavers  and  exporters  from  different  corners  of  the country are connected virtually with international market.
2. ii) Social  media  campaigns  are  also  organized  in  partnership  with  all stakeholders to promote handloom and handicraft legacy of India.
3. iii) Over  534  Chaupals  have  been  organized  in  various  States to educate/create awareness amongst the weavers to avail benefits of various  handloom  schemes  for  their  welfare  and  socio-economic development.
4. iv) 23 e-commerce entities have been engaged for online marketing of handloom products to  promote e-marketing of handloom products
- v) To  support  the  handloom  sector  and  to  enable  wider  market  for handloom  weavers/producers,  1.5  lakh  handloom  weavers/entities have been on-boarded on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) for supply of their products to Government Departments.
6. vi) 117  handloom  producer  companies  have  been  formed  in  different States to enhance productivity and marketing capabilities and ensure higher  returns  for  handloom  workers  through  collective  efforts  and pooling of resources.
7. vii) Design  Resource  Centres  have  been  set  up  in  Weavers'  Service Centres  (WSCs)  at  Delhi,  Mumbai,  Varanasi,  Ahmedabad,  Jaipur, Bhubaneswar and Guwahati in collaboration with National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) with the intent to build and create designoriented excellence in the handloom sector and to facilitate weavers, exporters, manufacturers and designers in creating new designs and to take benefit of erstwhile-created designs.

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