BENGALURU: Eminent personalities have appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take steps to improve the situation of handloom weavers by allocating funds in the July 7 state budget. They urged the government to set up the ‘Mahatma Gandhi Vastrodyama’, an enterprise that will effectively act as a liaison between the market and the producers of eco-friendly handwoven and khadi fabric, revive the Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation (KHDC) and commission a comprehensive study and review of the rules and regulations of the Department of Handlooms and Textiles.
They also urged the government to review current schemes that benefit handloom workers and implement them or come up with new schemes to cover basic needs such as home loans at zero or very low-interest rates, loans for buying new looms at 0% interest, comprehensive health insurance for weavers and their families, retirement benefits and free education for weavers’ children.
The letter was sent by the All-India Federation of Handloom Organisations and supported by several eminent personalities, such as theatre director and activist Prasanna, actor Prakash Raj, social worker and founder of Banjara Kasuthi, Asha Patil, fashion designer Prasad Bidapa, social anthropologist Dr AR Vasavi, environmental activist Leo Saldanha and hundreds of handloom supporters across the state, said Sharada Ganesh, convener, All-India Federation of Handloom Organisations, Karnataka.
Highlighting the dismal state of handloom weavers in Karnataka, the letter stated that weavers are earning just about Rs 200 a day after working for nearly 6-8 hours, which is far less than the basic minimum wage. They are reduced to a state of destitution and have become highly vulnerable and hopeless, the letter added.
Handloom weaving is completely eco-friendly, non-polluting, and climate resilient with the potential to create thousands of green jobs for youth and old people alike, especially for women who can work from their homes, the letter added.