Lok Sabha Question No. 4520 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-30
Subject: Financial Assistance to Handloom Workers
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Bhartruhari Mahtab

## FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO HANDLOOM WORKERS

## 4520. SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

Will the Minister of TEXTILES वस्त्र मंत्री be pleased to state :

(a)  whether  the  Government  provides  financial  assistance  to  handloom  workers,  handloom  agencies/ weavers for raw materials and purchase of infrastructure development of looms and accessories;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the funds allocated and disbursed under various such schematic interventions for handloom workers, State/UT-wise;

(c) the steps taken by the Government to overcome the challenges being faced by handloom workers and to promote handloom in the country including Odisha;

(d)  whether  the  Government  has  taken/proposes  to  take  steps  to  support  the  handloom  sector  and  to enable  wider  market  for  handloom  weavers  to  enable  them  to  sell  their  products  directly  to  various Government Departments and organizations; and

(e)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  number  of  weavers  benefitted  during  the  last  three  years, State/ UT-wise including Odisha?

## उत्तर

## ANSWER

## वस्त्र राज् य मंत्री ( श्रीमती दर्शना जरदोर् )

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

(a) to (c): Ministry of Textiles is implementing the following schemes to promote the handlooms and welfare of weavers across the country including Odisha:

1. National Handloom Development Programme;
2. Raw Material Supply Scheme;

Under the above schemes, financial assistance is provided to the eligible handloom agencies/weavers for raw materials, common  infrastructure development, marketing of handloom products in domestic/overseas markets, loans at concessional rates, etc.

In these schemes budget is not allocated State/UT-wise. Funds to eligible agencies are released for various interventions on receipt of proposals as per the extant guidelines of the respective schemes. The details of funds allocated/utilized under these schemes during the last three years and the current year are as follows:-

| Scheme-wise and year wise funds allocated/utilized during last three years and current year (Rs in Crore)   | Scheme-wise and year wise funds allocated/utilized during last three years and current year (Rs in Crore)   | Scheme-wise and year wise funds allocated/utilized during last three years and current year (Rs in Crore)   | Scheme-wise and year wise funds allocated/utilized during last three years and current year (Rs in Crore)   | Scheme-wise and year wise funds allocated/utilized during last three years and current year (Rs in Crore)   | Scheme-wise and year wise funds allocated/utilized during last three years and current year (Rs in Crore)   | Scheme-wise and year wise funds allocated/utilized during last three years and current year (Rs in Crore)   | Scheme-wise and year wise funds allocated/utilized during last three years and current year (Rs in Crore)   | Scheme-wise and year wise funds allocated/utilized during last three years and current year (Rs in Crore)   | Scheme-wise and year wise funds allocated/utilized during last three years and current year (Rs in Crore)   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No.                                                                                                     | Name of Schemes                                                                                             | 2018-19                                                                                                     | 2018-19                                                                                                     | 2019-20                                                                                                     | 2019-20                                                                                                     | 2020-21                                                                                                     | 2020-21                                                                                                     | 2021-22(till 22.02.2022)                                                                                    | 2021-22(till 22.02.2022)                                                                                    |
|                                                                                                             |                                                                                                             | Allocat ed                                                                                                  | Utilize d*                                                                                                  | Allocat ed                                                                                                  | Utilize d*                                                                                                  | Allocat ed                                                                                                  | Utilized *                                                                                                  | Allocate d                                                                                                  | Utilised*                                                                                                   |
| 1                                                                                                           | National Handloom Developm ent Programm e (Revenue)                                                         | 142.08                                                                                                      | 113.82                                                                                                      | 166.71                                                                                                      | 149.14                                                                                                      | 161.49                                                                                                      | 159.53                                                                                                      | 165.50                                                                                                      | 152.48                                                                                                      |
| 2                                                                                                           | Raw Material Supply Scheme                                                                                  | 155.41                                                                                                      | 126.84                                                                                                      | 165.21                                                                                                      | 142.21                                                                                                      | 70.00                                                                                                       | 60.32                                                                                                       | 105.00                                                                                                      | 86.34                                                                                                       |
| Total                                                                                                       | Total                                                                                                       | 297.49                                                                                                      | 240.66                                                                                                      | 331.92                                                                                                      | 291.35                                                                                                      | 231.49                                                                                                      | 219.85                                                                                                      | 270.50                                                                                                      | 238.82                                                                                                      |

* The funds utilized/released are based on receipt of proposals from the State Governments and other Handloom organisations, and utilization of previously released funds etc.

To overcome the issues faced by handloom workers, the Government has taken following steps:

- i. The  States and UTs  have  been  requested  for  their  State  Handloom  Corporations/Cooperatives/Agencies to make purchases of the finished inventory available with the handloom weavers.
- ii. To enhance productivity, marketing capabilities and facilitate better incomes, 135 Handloom Producer companies have been formed in different States of the country.
- iii. Under Weaver MUDRA/Concessional Credit Scheme, margin money assistance at 20% of the loan amount subject to a maximum of Rs. 25,000/- for individual weaver/Weaver Entrepreneur and Rs. 20 lakh for Handloom Organizations, interest subvention upto 7% and credit guarantee fees on loans for a period of three years are provided.
- iv. Design  Resource  Centres  have  been  set  up  in  Weavers'  Service  Centres  at  Delhi,  Mumbai, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati and Kancheepuram 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. For export promotion of handloom products, Handloom Export Promotion Council has been organizing  International  Fairs.    During  the  year  2021-22,  various  international  marketing fairs/events have been organized.  Besides, domestic marketing events were also organized in different parts of the country for the weavers to market and sell their products.
- vi. Weavers are facilitated to sell their products online and 23 e-commerce platforms have been associated by Ministry of Textiles under a policy framework.

(d) & (e): Steps  have  been  taken  to  on-board  weavers  on  Government  e-Market  place  to  enable them  sell  their  products  directly  to  various  Government  Departments  and  organizations.  As  of  now, 1,49,429  weavers  and  handloom  organizations  have  been  on-boarded  on  the  GeM  portal,  including 6,252 weavers already on-boarded on the date of initiation of the exercise. The State/UT- wise details of weavers and Handloom organizations on-boarded on the portal through this initiative is as follows:-

|                   | No. of Weavers/Handloom Agencies on- boarded   |
|-------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| ANDHRA PRADESH    | 32,435                                         |
| ARUNACHAL PRADESH | 2,183                                          |
| ASSAM             | 3,816                                          |
| BIHAR             | 1,270                                          |
| CHHATTISGARH      | 2,578                                          |
| DELHI             | 160                                            |
| GUJARAT           | 3,422                                          |
| HARYANA           | 1,896                                          |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH  | 393                                            |
| JAMMU AND KASHMIR | 28                                             |
| JHARKHAND         | 911                                            |
| KARNATAKA         | 8,533                                          |
| KERALA            | 7,007                                          |
| MADHYAPRADESH     | 5,686                                          |
| MAHARASHTRA       | 893                                            |
| MANIPUR           | 3,423                                          |
| MEGHALAYA         | 961                                            |
| MIZORAM           | 505                                            |
| NAGALAND          | 1,178                                          |
| ODISHA            | 4,145                                          |
| PUNJAB            | 240                                            |
| RAJASTHAN         | 1,187                                          |
| TAMIL NADU        | 16,495                                         |
| TELANGANA         | 22,440                                         |
| TRIPURA           | 4,088                                          |
| UTTAR PRADESH     | 6,865                                          |
| UTTARAKHAND       | 1,593                                          |
| WEST BENGAL       | 8,846                                          |