Lok Sabha Question No. 835 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-28
Subject: Working Conditions of Weavers
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: VIRENDRA  KUMAR

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.835 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.04.2016

## WORKING CONDITIONS OF WEAVERS

## 835.    DR. VIRENDRA KUMAR:

## Will the Minister of TEXTILES वस्त्र मंरी

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to formulate any action plan to improve the working conditions of the handloom weavers in the country; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof ?

## उत्तर

## ANSWER

## वस्त्र राज् य मंरी (स्त्वतंर प्रभार) (श्री संतोष क ु मार गंगवार)

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF TEXTILES (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) & (b) : The Government of India has been implementing the following schemes during the 12 th Plan for the development of the handloom sector and welfare of the weavers to improve the working conditions of the handloom weavers in the country:-

1. National Handloom Development Programme.
2. Handloom Weavers' Comprehensive Welfare Scheme.
3. Yarn Supply Scheme.
4. Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme.

## 1. NATIONAL HANDLOOM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME:

National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP)  is being implemented for development of handlooms, having following components:-

## a. Revival, Reform & Restructuring (RRR) package for the handloom sector:

RRR package covered waiver of overdue loan 100% principal and 25% of interest as on 31/3/2010 and recapitalization assistance of eligible apex and primary weavers of the cooperative societies & individual weavers and also provides fresh loan at 6% interest rate along with credit guarantee for 3 years. The RRR Package was approved for implementation upto 28.02.2014.

However, for providing access to subsidized term loan as well as working capital loan to handloom weavers not covered under loan waiver package, Government has approved Concessional  Credit Component.  The  loan  is  sanctioned  to weavers  at 6%  interest and Government  of  India  interest  subvention  is  max.7%  and  to  leverage  the  loan,  Government provides margin money assistance upto Rs.10, 000 per weaver and credit guarantee through Credit guarantee Trust Fund for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE).

## b. Comprehensive Handlooms Development Scheme(CHDS):

The Comprehensive Handlooms Development Scheme (CHDS) has been formulated by merging  the  components  of  Integrated  Handloom  Development  Scheme  (IHDS),  Marketing  & Export  Promotion  Scheme  (MEPS)  and  Diversified  Handloom  Development  Scheme  (DHDS), implemented during the 11 th Plan.  Sub-components of the CHDS are as follows:-

-  Development of handloom clusters of different sizes
-  Marketing Incentive
-  Organizing handloom exhibitions, both in India and abroad for marketing of handloom products
-  Strengthening of handloom organizations/institutions
-  Handloom Census
-  Publicity, monitoring, supervision, training and evaluation of the scheme

## 2. HANDLOOM WEAVERS COMPREHENSIVE WELFARE SCHEME:

This scheme has two components namely:

- i) Health  Insurance  Scheme  (HIS):    This  schemes  aims  at  enabling  the  weavers community to access healthcare facilities which has now been transferred to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare w.e.f. 01/04/2015.  This scheme is to be implemented on the lines of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana and Indoor Patient facility of Rs.30, 000/- for the year 2016-17 will be provided under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana.
2. ii) Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana (MGBBY): This scheme aims at to provide insurance cover to handloom weavers in case of natural as well as accidental death and in cases of total and partial disability.  A scholarship of Rs.300/- per quarter per child subject to two children studying in standard IX to XII is also provided under the scheme.

## 3. YARN SUPPLY SCHEME (YSS):

This scheme makes available all types of yarn at Mill Gate Price to the eligible handloom agencies and the transport and depot operating expenses are being borne by the Government of India.

Price subsidy of 10% on hank yarn is provided for notified yarn supplied to the handloom sector by National Handloom  Development  Corporation  (NHDC),  in  addition to freight reimbursement under the Mill Gate Price Scheme.

## 4. COMPREHENSIVE HANDLOOM CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT SCHEME:

Mega handloom cluster covers 25,000 handlooms and is developed at an upper GoI share of  Rs.70.00  crore  each  in  a  period  of  5  years.    The  Comprehensive  Handloom  Cluster Development  Scheme  (CHCDS)  is  implementation  during  XII  Plan  for  development  of  Mega Handloom Cluster. As per the scheme Mega Handloom Cluster should have 15,000 handlooms and funding upto Rs. 40 crore as Government of India share is eligible per cluster.

The  guidelines  of  Comprehensive  Handloom  Cluster  Development  Scheme  (CHCDS) have been amended in August 2015, which mainly pertains to the adoption of the Block Level Cluster approach, on the lines of NHDP. So far, eight mega handloom clusters at Varanasi (U.P.), Sivasagar  (Assam),  Murshidabad  (West  Bengal),  Godda  (Jharkhand),  Virudhnagar,  Trichy (Tamilnadu), Prakasham  &  Guntur  (A.P.), Bhagalpur (Bihar) have been taken up for development in handloom sector.

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