THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Central Government has sanctioned Rs 141 crore for the revival, reform and restructuring package for the handloom sector in the state for the current fiscal, Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty said here on Wednesday.
The Minister, distributing Rs 9.6 crore as assistance to the primary societies in the handloom sector of nine districts in the first phase, said that in 2012-13, Rs 3 crore had been distributed. In the second phase, the norms have been diluted to make 232 more societies eligible for assistance, Kunhalikutty said.
The Minister handed over the cheques to District Cooperative Bank presidents of Kollam, Alappuzha, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kasargode. Altogether, 54 societies in these districts have been benefitted. Assistance will be handed over to three more districts soon, the Industries Minister said.
He said as per the Central Government’s rehabilitation package for the handloom sector societies, 100 per cent loan liability and 25 per cent interests would be written off. Kunhalikutty said Rs 58 crore had already been given to the Hantex.
The Industries Minister said Kerala is the first state to make use of the Central rehabilitation package for the handloom sector. He said the end beneficiaries will be the primary societies. The State Government would try to get more assistance from the Centre. The Central assistance had turned out to be a great relief to the handloom sector which had been reeling under severe crisis, the Minister said.
Industries Department Principal Secretary Sathyajith Rajan, Handloom and Textiles Department Director Sam C Itticheria were also present.