Rajya Sabha BJD member Amar Patnaik has written a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik requesting him to approve special livelihood assistance to weavers and craftsmen in view of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
The MP’s letter stated that weavers and craftsmen, who employ the second largest workforce after agriculture, are living in a pitiable condition having been left out of the comprehensive Rs 1,690-crore financial package announced recently.
“Handloom weavers of Odisha have been facing difficulties in selling their products and getting necessary input materials due to Covid-19-induced lockdowns since March last year. The second wave of the pandemic has further aggravated their situation,” the MP said. These skilled workers have the potential to contribute substantially to the economy of the State and also earn a huge amount of foreign exchange for the country, he said. “They are skilled workers who cannot seek jobs under MGNREGS as it would be beneath their dignity. Those in private sector and not within the State Government’s cooperative sector are mainly affected. They neither do know who to approach nor do the district-level line department officials have any record of them except those who are members of the weavers’ cooperative societies. Government programmes in textile sector mostly reach weavers in cooperative sector only,” he stated.
Patnaik has urged the CM to consider approving a one-time monthly Covid assistance, similar on the lines of the KALIA scheme, to families of weavers and craftsmen for one to two years until they tide over the current crisis and its impact which would continue to be felt by them for several years.