The Chhattisgarh Government carried out repairs at old handloom houses of four handloom weavers co-operative committees in the State at a cost of Rs33.53 lakh during 2014-15, officials stated.
The repairs were carried out under Intergrated Handloom Development Scheme of the State government. As many as 120 weavers are members of the four committees.
Notably, the members of a total of 210 Chhattisgarh Weaver Co-operative Committees spun out around 80 lakh meters of cotton cloth during 2014-15, officials stated.
Moreover, under Integrated Handloom Development Scheme, financial aid of Rs2.94 crore has been provided to nearly 1,269 weavers in 2014-15.
Village Industry Department Officials also informed that this scheme was initiated in year 2013 for all-round development of handloom weavers in the State.
In the previous financial year, 300 weavers were provided advanced training in weaving under this scheme, on which Rs1.2 crore were spent.
A total of 80 weavers were imparted skill development training at the cost of Rs14.40 lakh.
Officials informed that 285 weavers were provided advanced equipments worth Rs 38.65 lakh and 264 weavers were provided auxiliary equipments worth nearly Rs7.92 lakh.
Notably, the State Government has established an Apparel Training & Designing Centre each in Bilaspur, Raipur, Bhilai and Rajnandgaon, officials stated.
These training centres are providing manpower to apparel industries in Chhattisgarh and even outside the State.
The Apparel Training & Design Centres have been established with the help of Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC).
Notably, the handloom weavers in Chhattisgarh are being assisted with preparation of new apparel designs for their products by National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), officials stated.
There had been 20 per cent jump in the budget for the Village Industries Department in the 2015-16 budget provisions at Rs119.58 crore, they stated.
The budget for the Village Industries Department in 2014-15 was Rs97.84 crore.
During the last financial year, the Chhattisgarh Khadi and Village Industries Board supplied cloth worth Rs1.52 crore.
Moreover, the government replaced the old looms with weavers free of cost. Notably, about 1.08 crore metres of Handloom cloth was woven by Chhattisgarh’s weavers in the current fiscal year 2014-15 till January 31, officials stated.
There are about 234 Co-operative societies with 60,000 members. They work on 20,000 Handlooms in the State.
About 13.40 lakh metres of Handloom cloth was produced in the year 2004-05. The cloth was produced by various Co-operative societies, they stated.
Chhattisgarh’s weavers supplied Handloom cloth worth Rs 95 crore to the various State government Departments in the year 2013-14, officials stated.
About 45,900 weavers are employed in 15,300 looms of ‘Handloom Weavers Sanghs’ of the State government’s Village Industries Department.
About 7000 women are employed in the Handloom sector through the 206 Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The weavers earn around Rs9000 per month.
The Department officials said in order to provide regular employment to Handloom weavers and to provide market to the garments made by them, the Chhattisgarh State Handloom Development and Marketing Co-operative Society was registered in December 2000.
There were about 50 primary weavers committees at the time of formation of the Society and in 2014 there are 234 committees. The Handloom Weavers Society was appointed as the nodal agency for procuring Government clothes orders.
The uniforms of School Education Department and Rajiv Gandhi School Mission students, Tribal Welfare Department schools students, blankets, sheets, blazer, mosquito nets, uniform of Women and Child Development Department, durrie and Polyester sarees, Khaki dress material of the police department, mosquito, kit cloth, blankets, polyester sarees are supplied by the Handloom sector.The officials said Rs9.45 crore was paid as wages to the Primary Weavers' Committees. The amount was paid for weaving and stitching.
Under Integrated Handloom Development Scheme, Chhattisgarh Government's Village Industries Department is providing skill improvement training of two months to weavers.
Under this scheme, semi-skilled weavers of Weavers' Cooperative Societies are trained for creating new designs and high quality fabric.
The scheme also includes provision of scholarship of Rs 3000 per month for each trainee selected under this scheme. Department Officials informed that in the previous financial year 2014-15, 80 weavers were given skill improvement training.
Traditional weavers and new weavers having training and experience of three years in weaving work are eligible for this scheme.
Chhattisgarh’s weavers supplied Handloom cloth worth Rs 95 crore to the various State government Departments in the year 2013-14, officials stated.
About 45,900 weavers are employed in 15,300 looms of ‘Handloom Weavers Sanghs’ of the State government’s Village Industries Department.
About 7000 women are employed in the Handloom sector through the 206 Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The weavers earn around Rs 9000 per month.
The Department officials said in order to provide regular employment to Handloom weavers and to provide market to the garments made by them, the Chhattisgarh State Handloom Development and Marketing Co-operative Society was registered in December 2000.
There were about 50 primary weavers committees at the time of formation of the Society and in 2014 there are 234 committees. The Handloom Weavers Society was appointed as the nodal agency for procuring Government clothes orders.