With a view to promote children from families of handloom workers in Chhattisgarh, the State Government has rewarded more than 3,000 children from such families.Rewards worth about Rs47 lakh were given away to the children, officials informed here on Sunday.
Officials from Chhattisgarh State Handloom Development and Marketing Cooperative Federation informed that for promoting education among the children of handloom workers, their children scoring 60 per cent or more in Class X and XII are being awarded since 2007-08. The handloom worker's children winning some competitions are also rewarded, they said.
As an encouragement, children are given cash ranging from Rs1,000 to Rs5,000 along with citation and school dress. In fiscal 2007-08, 304 children, in 2008-09, 508 children, in 2009-10, 590 children, in 2010-11, 884 children, in 2011-12, 186 children, in 2012-13, 240 children and in 2013-14, 426 children of the handloom workers have been rewarded.
Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi’s dream about economic upliftment of the handloom weavers is being fulfilled at a rapid pace in the insurgency hit Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, officials stated.
The Mahatma Gandhi Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society has been fulfilling the Father of the Nation's dream. The Society has proved helpful in augmenting the income of its members.
The society, with the co-operation of the weavers, has created a new and unprecedented record in the production of handloom cloth.
The society’s production of handloom cloth and wages of its weavers have increased manifold. In 2003, only 9,000 metre handloom cloth were produced, which has increased to 1.20 lakh metre in 2013-14.
Similarly, in 2003, the member weavers of the society were getting Rs1.32 lakh as wages per year. However, in the year 2013-14, Rs24 lakh wages have been distributed. All the 64 members of the society are landless and earning their daily bread by weaving handloom cloth.
According to the book of Village Industries Department centred on Bastar region, the Mahatma Gandhi Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society produces only cloth for government procurement including bed sheets, towel, mosquito net, durry besides other products.
Chairman of the Society, Baisakhu said that Chhattisgarh State Handloom and Marketing Cooperative Federation has been providing threads to the handloom weavers. The wages also come from the federation. At present, only tunic cloths are produced in the society, which is used for the manufacture of uniform of school children. Each weaver gets Rs20 per metre wages. On an average, a weaver weaves 7-8 metre cloth.
According to the vice chairman of the Society, Hasturam, until 2003, only Janata saris were produced in the society. A worker gets Rs5 per sari. In the year 2010-11, the State Government has increased the wages to Rs20 per metre. Manager of the Society, Bhagaturam Baghel said that insurance of all the member weavers has been done. Each member has accident insurance of Rs1.5 lakh.