Lok Sabha Question No. 3143 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-06
Subject: Scheme for Women Handloom Workers
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Queen Oja

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3143 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.08.2021

## SCHEME FOR WOMEN HANDLOOM WORKERS

## 3143. SHRIMATI QUEEN OJA:

## Will the Minister of TEXTILES वस्त्र मंत्री

be pleased to state :

- (a) whether the Government is running any scheme aimed at the development of women handloom workers in Assam;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to provide special package to such women workers;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the details of the strategy being chalked out by the Government to promote handloom in Assam?

## उत्तर

ANSWER

## वस्त्र राज् य मंत्री ( श्रीमती दर्शना जरदोर् )

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF TEXTILES (SMT. DARSHANA JARDOSH)

(a) to (e): Under  various  schematic  interventions  for  handloom  workers  including  women  workers throughout  the  country  including  Assam,  financial  assistance  is  provided  to  the  eligible  handloom agencies/weavers for raw materials, purchase of upgraded looms & accessories, design innovation & product diversification, infrastructure development, marketing of handloom products in domestic as well as overseas markets, Mudra loans at concessional rates, etc.   Further, 100% subsidy is given to women weavers for construction of individual workshed.  Kamladevi Chattopadhyay Award has been instituted specifically for women weavers.

To overcome the challenges being faced by handloom workers, the Government has taken following steps for their welfare and to promote handloom including in Assam: -

- i. To support the handloom sector and to enable wider market for handloom weavers, steps have been taken  to  on-board  weavers  on  Government  e-Market  place  (GeM)  to  enable  them  to  sell  their products  directly  to  various  Government  Departments  and  organizations.  So  far  about  1.50  Lakh weavers have been on-boarded on the GeM portal.
- ii. To enhance productivity, marketing capabilities and ensure better incomes, 125 Handloom Producer companies have been formed in different States.
- iii. Under Concessional Credit/Weaver MUDRA Scheme, margin money assistance at 20% of the loan amount subject to a maximum of Rs. 10,000/- per weaver, interest subvention upto 7% and credit guarantee fees on loans for a period of three (3) years are given.
- iv. Design Resource Centres (DRCs) have been set up in Weavers' Service Centres (WSCs) at Delhi, Mumbai,  Varanasi,  Ahmedabad,  Jaipur,  Bhubaneswar  and  Guwahati,  through  NIFT  with  the objective  to  build  and  create  design-oriented  excellence  in  the  Handloom  Sector  and  to  facilitate weavers,  exporters,  manufacturers  and  designers  access  design  repositories  for  sample/product improvisation and development.
- v. To  promote  marketing  of  handloom  products,  Handloom  Export  Promotion  Council  (HEPC)  has been  organizing  International  Fairs  in  virtual  mode.  During  the  year  2020-21,  12  handloom  fairs were organized in virtual mode. Besides, domestic marketing events were also organized in different parts of the country for the weavers to market and sell their products.